By Greg Meintyre Stati Reporter 7The Lower Mainland environ- ment is deteriorating and act enough is being done about it “The concept cf a sustainable§ environment has yet to be _fallyy adopted as a long-term geal," con-2 cludes a comprenensive report Fy j the federal and provincial govern menis on the state cf the tower fi Fraser River basin.- -- The report, released kst week, forms part of a 1991 State of the Emironment Report for Canada. Bui Will Paulik, of the Society Premotng Environmental Conser- vation, yesterday called the report “just a lot of fancy words but not mach action.” Paulik said too many levels of government are “all painting fin- gezs at each other” but nene are taking responsibility. « ° The report nates that motor ut fancy words" Ga ee ak ae ALE vehicles a account for a per cent. of : nec account fr 8 pay cat ee tat alr gual has been proving since 1985 -of hetier vehicle pollution controls . hut, after 3995, aly quality fs expected to worsen due. primarily, | : te expected increases in ‘waffle and: commuting distances. Water in the Fraser is deteriorat- 3 ing Because municipal and indus-.; triad waste Inads are re increasing, thee report Says. - : Fish kills are “frequent™ ix area rivers because of “hi loadings and toxic pesticde runci.”’- ions from -. 3 TR S ATE nutrient & aemeiad Boundary Bay end 1 Sturgeon and: 3 Roberts banks “have. been closed to clam and oyster harvesting since : 1962 due to contamination ...." > ake ow The three Greater: * yEncouver, : t plants discharge" # sewage-treaimen enough sewage te Gi! B.C l Place Stadium 199 times each year.. -§ Poisons also are seeping into Fraser Vailey groundwater... i345 ¢ E The report says current water- quallty monitoring is inadequate: ¢ : 4 i Farmisnd kas been preserved by the agricultural land 1973, but the area within. the AER + ; hag declined by 5.7 per cent, ahout 532 hectares C38 acres) 3 year, Sela Boy . 7 oy me : Et says that despite a push for } recycling, “‘sheer population-: préssure threafens to overwheln the capacity of existing and planned solid-waste systems as earlyas 1995." And there is no plah in place te safely handié the nearly 60,000 tonnes af “specie?” or hazardous wastes produced annually In the Lower Mainland. " Delta going the way of LA on freeways: councillor ca: 2¢/Gz. JES ODAM Vancouver Sun Wendy Jeske has seen the future. And it is Los Angeles. . “They are just a few years ahead ofus,” the Delta oouncilior said in an interview after visiting a sister eho lives 45 minutés east of the Califor : nla city.-- “To go anywhere, even community, you have toe ¢ei freewayae eith Six Janes ie direction sua uaeslt theres added. WAYS erecalne anger, Some of Wea buts the more irafile you accommeda ay the more you are going to gat" Jeske sald the Lower Meiniend ° faces tha dams probiemsie. <2 .- - “As B3 pas sitting dz. the freeway. ree mom tmen ee once meg ARE there, I fel€ there was-no difference. < }. befwesn us and California on the -- Girection we" are. faking,” she sdded. © SWERs=> Delia’ eure ounell chesalg often accused of haying & n policy and istbelns*told: the-a area would be better off if it had growth.-- § “There sre 30 million people id*- Californis, more then thé entire population of Canada, and the state eculd not meet its payroll! lest month,” Jeske went on. “There is a point at which you can- net service that ponulation any more, the costs become too great and the inconvenience to the popu- lation becemes too great.” _ She said everywhere she went in ~ ‘Ufernia, she locked a! things fram sowih perspective and a planning perspective. | . , Ment (Yeu cannot help but see people are so detached from each other, in their cars on the freeway, in their homes because they all feel so unsafe they have these big security gates. It is a very alienating enviren- planners here could go down there and look at ihings first hand and see what has happened. Unchecked h } growth has tremendous conse- quences.” Califernia’s philosophy has been to maximize growth and now the human and financial costs are unmanageable, she said. “Everyone though! California was ! a thriving sta.e and people weet “J just wish ail the architects and | migrating there in great numbe because they believed it was thag land cfopportunity. But really it is land of alienation. We need to take lésson from there.” Jeske sa2id peaple in both Nor: and South Belta are saying the quality of life has been dimi because of growth and the traifiz with which they have fo cone. “There is simply not the money fo resolve the situation, provincially or municipally.” she added. “Surrey is growing fantastically © and Richmond traffic is unbearable right now. People who have lived in Richmond are feeling very alienated with the rapid change and rapid expansion.” California, she said, has slowed communities to grow over citrus groves and vineyards. “We are basically relying or Cali- jornia (6 supply us with food th the “winter but they are letting that land #0 at a faster rate than We ar are. Cali- fornia growth has a terrific impact? On us,” she added.