Rotary evicts guest from Charlie Lake RV Park

CHARLIE LAKE. B.C. – The Rotary Club of Fort St. John says it evicted a guest from the Ross H. Maclean Rotary RV Park after they were “careless” and caused environmental concerns.

This statement comes after some residents reported that some commercial trucks were abusing the permit system at the park, which hosts the Charlie Lake boat launch, allegedly using the lot as a maintenance area.

When reporters travelled to the launch last week, they discovered four five-gallon pails of oil near the grass adjacent to the lake and playground and multiple oil spills in the parking lot.

Rotary says it has since cleaned up the oil spills and fixed the ruts in the park. The club says it also found calcium deposits that were left behind from mudguards and trailers that have been on calciumed roads.

While calcium is reportedly not harmful to the environment, it was likely the cause of most of the discoloration in the parking area, according to Rotary.

“Those who stay at the park, including truckers, have been informed to monitor daily for leaks and are mandated to use drip trays or absorbent pads in emergency situations,” Rotary said in a post on Facebook.

“All of our campers, including about 15 trucker families who call the park home each summer, are vital to making the park a continued success. Our aim always is to ensure a welcome and healthy environment for all to enjoy and to remain stewards of the lake for many more years to come,” the club continued.

According to their post, the club began developing the park in the 1970s, with profits from the park going directly back to Fort St. John and the North Peace community.