q at Workmen at the Mount Layton Hot Springs site strike out lines on concrete which will mark the location of walls. Developer Bert Orleans said recently that his crew of about 12 skilled workers will have the recreation compiex ready for opening by the end of October. “sgt: The complex of water slides will end In‘ this splash-do t wn pool being constructed next to” - the original hot springs swimming pool. ° ‘Brush clearing and tree felling is still in progress several huncired meters behind the hot springs site toward the _ lake shore. Fire report On Sunday, Sept. 7 at 5:03 a.m, the Terrace fire department attended a fire in the North Kalum Trailer Court, The fire department said the blaze, which turned out to be caused from 2 burner being left on with a frying pan on top of it, filled the trailer with smoke. A Terrace woman walking by noticed smoke pouring out of the trailer, She awakened the family by banging on the door, and the family was able to get the children out before any injuries ‘occurred. Terrace Review — Wednesday, September 10, 1986 17 Hot Springs will - open this fall TERRACE — Developer Bert Orleans recently ex- pressed confidence that the recreation phase of the Lakelse Hot Springs will be finished sometime in October despite set- backs in the engineering requirements for the sewage disposal system. “Things are running smoothly,’’ he said, ad- ding that the construc- tion of an extra tank at the head of the aerated lagoon system had only a marginal effect on his building schedule. by Michael Kelly The 150-hectare land- scape, centered on an outcropping of numer- ous hot mineral water pools, is currently in a state of transformation. The original concrete pools around which the new construction is ris- ing are backed now by a massive parking lot. A cleared corridor leads southward through the bush, turning back toward the lake and a clearing where heavy machinery is busy knocking down and pil- ing trees. Orleans said that much of the preparation work for the site involves pulling down decadent timber in conjunction with back- filling the swampy ground. The recreational por- tion of Orleans’s plan for the area will consist of various water slides washed with hot springs water emptying into splash-down pools; swimming and wading pools fed with hot springs water; and a lob- by area, coffee shop and change rooms. Orleans also con- firmed that phase two of the development will in- volve construction of a resort hotel, but he said he hasn’t planned far enough ahead to specu- late on the size or nature of the building. It will be located, he stated, in the vacant area left by the old hot springs parking lot. While in the proposal stage, the development came under: public scrutiny with regard to its planned sewage disposal system. After an open meeting in Terrace and consideration by various government bodies, Orleans was in- structed by the Waste Management Branch to redesign the system in ac- Sections of water slide presently occupy the parking lot next to the partially-finished recreation complex. Developer Bert Orleans stated recently that a hotel will be built here as part of phase Il of the hot springs plans. ~~, cordance with revised guidelines. Wynn Hob- son, the engineer who drew up the initial system, stated recently that the primary concern is phosporus content in the effluent discharged into Lakelse Lake, Hob- son said phosporus com- pounds are nutrients which encourage the growth of algae in lakes, degrading the fish habitat because the plants compete with fish for available oxygen in the water. The proposed system of aerated lagoons will remain, Hobson said, but an alum floculation tank will have to be added ahead of the system to reduce the 1.5 part per million phosphate con- tent of the effluent to “‘a much lower level”’. Hob- son declined comment on the design of the addi- tional system, saying that KLM Engineering - of Prince George will be designing it, Stu Lawrence, the engineer for KLM assigned to the project, cited client con- fidentiality and also refused to elaborate. When . questioned about the revised sewage system, Orleans said, “‘l am not a chemist, but 1 understand the changes are required to remove the phosphates.” He referred inquiries to the Waste Management Branch office in Smithers, but WMB spokesman Kul Bindra also refused comment by stating, ‘‘I won’t say anything at this time. All the information will be on the permit when it is issued.” Jorma Jyrkkanen, habitat technician for the Ministry of Environment in Terrace, confirmed that a closed-door meeting will take place here Sept. 9 to examine the environmental im- plications of the hot springs operation, He in- dicated that interested parties will include the developer and Ministry of Environment rep- resentatives. Lakelse sewage study delayed TERRACE — A pro- posed study to determine the feasibility of a com- prehensive sewage sys- tem for residential areas around Lakelse Lake will probably not take place until 1987. A report to the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District board on Aug. 16 stated that the regional district study budget for 1986 is $12,000 short of the $15,000 required to finance the study. The environmental strain put on the lake by shoreline residential development came to the attention of the regional district board following public criticism of the proposed sewage dispo- sal system for the Mount Layton Hot Springs complex. Figures in- dicate waste disposal from cottages and recreation facilities around the lake may be partially responsible for high seasonal coliform counts in the water and excessive nutrient loading of the lake, The regional district’s pro- posed study would have provided cost and preliminary engineering information for a com- munity sewage treatment plant in the area, but given the option of run- ning up a deficit for 1986 or deferring the study until next year, regional district directors voted for the deferral. Director Mike Corbeil suggested that a grant similar to those obtained by other regions from the provincial govern- ment may be available, and administration was instructed to investigate the possibility.