Longtime Osoyoos resident and business owner John Sanai and his wife Shams own and operate the Punta Cana Bed and Breakfast business across from the Cottonwood Park lagoon in the east end of Osoyoos. They are upset that no one appears to be willing to do anything to try and restore the lagoon, saying it is becoming a giant pile of mud that gives off a terrible smell once the weather turns warm. Their continual complaints about the lagoon have fallen on deaf ears from several different levels of government. (Keith Lacey photo)
An Osoyoos couple who have lived across the street from one of this town’s most scenic and popular parks are upset that the Cottonwood Park lagoon is being ignored and has become what they call an eyesore.
John and Shams Sanai moved to Osoyoos from Iran 23 years ago and have been the proud owners of the Casa Punta Bed and Breakfast for the past 14 years.
Their business and home is located directly across the street from Cottonwood Park, which they believe is one of this town’s most scenic and popular attractions.
While the park itself remains beautiful to look at and attracts thousands of people during the warm weather months – especially when thousands of tourists start visiting from early spring to early fall – the lagoon located on the east end of the park has become an embarrassment, says John.
“It’s a beautiful park with beautiful views, but the pond has become a giant mess,” he said. “It smells very badly once the warm weather starts because there is no water circulating in the pond at all. It has become a giant pile of mud. There are trees scattered throughout and the grass on the edges is starting to fall into the pond and it’s only going to get worse.
“You tell me if fish could survive in that mess. Eventually that park will be destroyed because the pond has been ignored for years and it gets worse and worse with each passing year.”
Sanai said he has voiced his concerns to members of town staff and they have made it very clear that the provincial government handles all water bodies and there is nothing they can do about it, which he finds exceptionally frustrating.
Ron Doucette, the town’s director of operational services, confirmed the town has no jurisdiction over water bodies and has no authority to perform work that would alter the Cottonwood Park pond or any other similar water body in town limits.
Sanai said he has also contacted officials from the Ministry of the Environment and other provincial agencies to see if they would be willing to listen to his concerns about the Cottonwood Park pond and hasn’t received any response.
When he first purchased his bed and breakfast business 14 years ago, that same pond was in pristine condition with fast-flowing water, an abundance of fish and wildlife and no bad smells at all, said Sanai.
“When I first moved here, this pond was clean and clear with all kinds of fresh water,” he said. “Three quarters of the pond is now dried mud and surrounded by willow trees and grass that continue to fall into the water.
“It’s a giant mess and that’s very frustrating because it’s located in a beautiful park.”
He’s convinced small measures could make a big difference and eventually restore aquatic life to the pond.
“If you drudge the northwest entrance to the pond to allow water from Osoyoos Lake to drain into the pond, it would allow circulation … three or four loads would do it,” he said. “It would also be easy to hook up to the town’s water system and maybe install a circulating fountain like the one on Pioneer Walkway.
“The pond needs circulating water or everything just lies stagnant. When there’s no moving water, everything gets stagnant and dies.”
An expert in municipal water programs, who did not want his name used, said he can understand Sanai’s concerns, but said, “it becomes very complicated when it comes to water in this province.”
“It’s a Crown resource and there’s nothing the town can do about it,” he said. “Any work in or around water means there’s difficult legislation involved.
“It’s not legal to start dredging. You have to deal with things like the provincial water act, riparian areas legislation and Integrated Land Management Agency. It gets really complicated.”
Shams Sanai agrees with her husband that the pond has deteriorated badly over the past several years.
“It’s so sad to see what was once a beautiful pond is being destroyed and no one seems to want to do anything about it,” she said. “It’s tragic this has been allowed to happen when we think the problem could be fixed by getting water back circulating throughout the pond.
“Several of our neighbours feel the same way, but no one wants to come forward and accept responsibility and do what needs to be done to save this pond.”
The Sanai’s are going to keep complaining until something is done.
“It can be fixed and not for a lot of money,” he said. “It’s not acceptable to just let things get worse.
“The town, the provincial government and health officials have a responsibility to ensure the good health of citizens,” he said. “I’m going to keep on pushing because I want this fixed. I pay $10,000 in property taxes every year to the town and they won’t do anything for me. That pond can be saved and should be saved.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
