Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 15/98) - It used to be home of geese, swans and all sorts of wildlife, but now the west end of Range Lake has been nearly drained, leaving behind little but swamp and dried grass.

"Somebody in the city's wisdom has drained half of Range Lake. The lake at one end is very shallow. A couple of years ago it was about two feet deep and it's got all that crap underneath it," said Fraser Oliver, a resident of Finlayson Drive North.

"We used to be able to canoe on there. You have to see this. It's amazing."

Oliver's fenceless backyard extends all the way to the lake, past a walking trail.

In the last couple of years he has watched the lake shrink by making note of water markings on rocks along the shoreline.

"This year they've dropped it, I'm being conservative, 18 inches (45 centimetres). That's a lot of water."

The city has told Oliver that homes on the Rivett Crescent area have complained about water leaking into their basements from Range Lake.

"It just seems such a rip-off. It seems like the city's giving me is, "Well, we've got some storm drainage problems and it warrants draining a lake,'" he said.

"I've voiced my concern about paying extra taxes for water viewing, that the city has deemed I should be paying so I'm paying a little more for that. And then it's the environmental part of that. We've had swans, we've had geese, we've had sand herrings and all kinds of ducks.... They won't be back," Oliver added.

"I think it's a wrong. and the answers that I've got were valid. But it's more or less like, oh well, we're just going to have to wait till we get some rain now. That's not good enough. This should never have happened."

Oliver, a resident of Finlayson Drive for seven years, said a few years ago there was no real drainage system away from the lake so the city drained it, lowering the water. But people in the area could still canoe in some areas.

Gary Craig, director of public works with the city, said a press release is on its way tomorrow.

"I've acknowledged that the water is lower than it was last year or two months ago by all appearances. I can't tell you any more or else I'll give the press release away. We're trying to be proactive. It's been brought to our attention and therefore I figured I should prepare a press release."