Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart told The NOW severe rains over the weekend caused one re-development site to be overrun with water, causing excess mud and silt to flow into an adjacent ditch.
Photograph by: NOW , file
A handful of lots enveloped by water on Burke Mountain Sunday had city officials warning members of the development community to shape up or ship out at Monday's council meeting.
Mayor Richard Stewart told The NOW severe rains over the weekend caused one redevelopment site to be overrun with water, causing excess mud and silt to flow into an adjacent ditch.
Both Stewart and city manager Peter Steblin noted developers in the area were warned to take certain precautions ahead of the rainfall, with Stewart estimating 90 to 95 per cent of developers in the area did so.
"The environment is incredibly important to us," Stewart said Tuesday.
"This isn't something that happens as a matter of course in development because it is avoidable. We tell developers to take measures to make sure this doesn't happen. One of them, in particular, didn't."
Stewart was unsure which, if any, local watercourses the ditches may have drained into.
As of Tuesday morning, he was having staff review whether or not the developer in question - which he would not name - will be subject to fines.
"Our powers to fine are quite limited," Stewart said.
"First and foremost, we've shut the site down. The cost of time is usually much more significant than the cost of fines.
"We will make it clear, and everyone involved in this will understand, that this will not happen again."
