Sonia Furstenau, MLA for the Cowichan Valley, has introduced a private member’s bill that would prevent solid waste from being deposited in quarries. (File photo)

Sonia Furstenau introduced a private member’s bill in the legislature on April 19 that would prevent solid waste from being deposited in quarries.

Furstenau, the Green MLA for the Cowichan Valley, said that quarries have increasingly been used as waste disposal sites, leading to community health, safety and environmental concerns regarding the possible contamination of local water sources.

She said natural drinking water sources are vitally important to the people who rely on them, and replacing them comes at a significant costs.

“It is essential that we take these potential costs into consideration when determining appropriate sites for waste disposal,” Furstenau said.

“In Shawnigan Lake, the community is still dealing with the fallout from contaminated soil being dumped near our drinking water source. This has led to costly legal challenges and a loss of trust in government agencies.”

The bill, which would amend the Environmental Management Act, would specifically disallow permits for waste disposal in cases where solid waste would be deposited in sand and gravel pits, limestone and sandstone quarries above a highly sensitive aquifer.

Furstenau said public trust is imperative for ensuring that projects can go ahead uncontested and that people have faith that their government is looking out for their health and safety.

She said her private member’s bill would ensure that solid waste is disposed of safely and responsibly at the outset, avoiding conflict down the road.

Prior to being elected, Furstenau was a community organizer in Shawnigan Lake where the government granted a permit for a contaminated soil landfill in an active quarry located at the headwaters of the community’s drinking watershed.

The permits were revoked last year after significant opposition and court challenges.