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Lantzville requests review of city water agreement

NANAIMO – The District of Lantzville is hoping to change the agreement to include existing developments.

he District of Lantzville has sent a letter to the City of Nanaimo asking to review and make a potential changes to the water agreement between the two municipalities.

In the letter, Lantzville is asking Nanaimo to consider amending Section 14 of the agreement, which calls for new water connections to be connected to as many as 50 new developments per year. The district is hoping to change the wording so that existing developments can be included.

Lantzville signed off on a 20-year water-supply agreement with the City of Nanaimo in 2014. The deal, which was done without prior public notice, allows for water to be piped to 225 houses in upper Lantzville from Nanaimo for a connection cost of $1.3 million. The agreement also allows for connection to 50 new developments per year.

Mayor Colin Haime, who was not involved in signing the current water agreement, said the changes are important because if amended, they would allow for connections of existing developments in Lantzville, where water is badly needed.

“There are residents … that aren’t specifically provided for within the water agreement, who need water and so just a slight change in wording would make it so that when it comes to the 50 new connections a year, they are not designated only to new development. They could be used for existing.”

Haime said the changes wouldn’t be in “any shape or form” a detriment to the City of Nanaimo, adding that it would be more of a “housekeeping” issue for them.

The City of Nanaimo would need to address the letter before any changes could be made to the existing agreement.

Haime said he understands that Nanaimo is dealing with a number of other issues, but he hopes the letter gets the ball rolling on discussions around the amendments to the agreement.

“It’s not a big thing on their radar, but for Lantzville it is a critical piece,” Haime said. “I want to help them in any way to understand the reasoning for this request.”