From Renaissance Lac Brome
The Town of Brome Lake recognizes that Brome lake is at the heart of its residents’ lives. The Town supports the efforts of its citizens and of Renaissance Lac Brome to protect our lake and to ensure that we can enjoy a wide range of aquatic activities on it. Through the years, regulations aimed at protecting the lake’s water quality have been adopted. However, some of our efforts have yet to make an impact.
On the eve of another municipal election, are our candidates from the town council willing to continue the work? Here are five critical questions that they should be ready to answer:
Shoreline: Municipal bylaws require the re-naturalizing of a 15 metre swath of shoreline around the lake. After four years of efforts intended to benefit local residents, too many landowners still oppose the bylaws exemptions and or the to town continues to grant exemptions or to turn a blind eye.
1. What would you do to ensure people respect the shoreline bylaws around the lake?
Overflow of sewers: The town’s sewer network still frequently overflows due to heavy rains or power outages. Certain investments have been made but the situation remains problematic.
2. How will you fix the overflow into the watercourses and into the lake?
Motorized vehicles on the lake: The town put buoys in place to ensure that motorized vehicles reduce their speed at less than 150 metres from the shore. Unfortunately, many people disregard the signage.
3. Would you be ready to increase the number of patrollers on the lake to make people respect these speed limits?
Wash stations for boats: Two years ago RLB put in place a wash station for boats to limit the introduction and propagation of invasive aquatic species.
4. Would you be ready to adopt a rule making it obligatory for boats coming from different bodies of water to be washed, and put the Town in charge of the washing station?
Inspectors in environment: The town has a set of rules aimed at protecting the environment, as pertains to the cutting of trees, the protection of wetlands, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, protection of the shoreline and management of sediments during construction or landscaping. However, there aren’t enough municipal inspectors up to the task, and follow-ups are often inadequate.
5. How do you propose to make people follow the rules related to water quality in the lake and its watershed?
Translation: Alexandre Hackett