Colliery Dams Would Slow Flood

---

The following letter was submitted by Mr. Stead. While I am not an expert on the behaviour of waters during a flood, what Mr. Stead offers certainly does make sense, in that removing the dams would do nothing to change the result of a serious rainfall event.

---

Mr. Mayor, members of the council, Mr Kenning, Klohn Crippen Burger, members of the press, Mla's, and all of my like minded friends, Ladies and Gentlemen.

 I intend to provide rebuttle to the Contentions made by Mr. Kenning, Mr.Sims, Susan Clifts, Robin J. Fitzgerald, and the company of Klohn Crippen Burger(KCB), to wit, the dams must be destroyed and removed, a decision they made lightly, based on their speculation, lack of knowledge and information, and their far fetched conclusions.  Mr. Kenning and KCB contend that the removal of the dams is necesary to eliminate the risk of flooding in the Chase River and the risk of death and destruction in and on the flood plain below, due to a catastrophic event.           

 I contend that the existence of the dams provides a check to the water, and in the  event of flooding would slow the water down, where as, removing the dams, would leave the river free flowing, leaving  the water unchecked and able to pick up speed,(from the top end of second dam, to the bottom of what is now the spillway, a distance of approximatedly, 1 1/2 k, with a drop of over 200 ft.) before crashing into the flood plain below. Removing the dams , in no way, changes the amount of water reaching the flood plain during times of flood, it just changes the time it takes for the water to get there. We have all witnessed rapids and the pools that form at their lower end, the dams currently act as those pools. the dams also act as sediment ponds, allowing the silt carried down during floods, to be filtered out before entering the fish rearing Chase river.   

This is the first of many editions i have prepared to release over a controlled period of time, for maximum effect, and distribution, to a wide variety of like minded people as myself, people of the press, politicans, government agencies and ministries and the tax paying public. I know the dams can be remediated to everyone's satisfaction, for less than half of what you have agreed to pay KCB.

Ronald Stead
Nanaimo