In the Alberta resort town of Sylvan Lake, the debate is growing over the pace of development.
The town of Sylvan Lake has doubled in the past 10 years and now several developments are proposed for lakefront and near the lake.
The most controversial is Skyy Country Resort, an RV park with more than 400 year-round lots, plus 84 daily recreational vehicle spots. If the development passes third reading in front of Lacombe County council, work could start next summer.
Project spokesman Lance Dzaman said Alberta Environment and the counties west of Red Deer are doing a good job of monitoring the lake.
"If you look around the lake, on a huge percentage of the days, the lake is quite quiet. On those real hot odd days a year when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is busy. It's not beyond what the capacity of the lake can handle."
Time out for Sylvan Lake?
A group of cottage owners with the website savesylvanlake.ca is lobbying to stop development until there is a sustainability plan for the whole lake.
Kent Williamson, a member of the group, has been coming to Sylvan since 1961.
Sitting on his deck on a sunny June afternoon, Williamson said the lake is unique in that the water doesn't flow in and out, but stays put for 100 years.
"We need a time out for Sylvan Lake. We need time out to develop the plan and to make sure that when we do development that it will be with the best models possible."
Williamson said his group is worried too many developments could destroy the water quality leading to blue-green algae, swimmers itch or even dead fish.
The group believes some developments are being pushed through before the province's Land Use Framework comes out.
Susan Samson, the mayor of the town, said part of the problem is each of the local governments in the area вЂ" a town, two counties and five summer villages вЂ" is making its own decisions.
She worries the quality of the water will diminish as more people move in.
"We're all watching because we have so much at stake. If it goes sideways in terms of property values, in terms of loss of a major recreation area and the loss to all Albertans. So it's a balancing act at best," she said.
Growing demand for Sylvan
Terry Engen, the reeve of the County of Lacombe, said while the county isn't hurrying development, it is not put any projects on hold either.
"We deal with requests for land changes on a regular basis and this is no different than any other request," he said of the Skyy Country Resort proposal.
Annabelle Wiseman, mayor of the summer village of Jarvis Bay, said the local governments do work together.
"We have a Sylvan Lake management plan where all eight of us sit down usually every two months or so, and we've done a study on the lake, an access study and also a water quality study. So we've got some pretty good baselines as to what the lake is and it's maintaining its quality."
Jim Jardine has been a realtor in Sylvan for 31 years. He says with the central location and the quality of the lake, many people want a piece of the action.
"It's growing and it's growing quickly, but I think we're managing it well and it will be fine. People are going to want to come here and you can't take that demand away."
Mark Rererson said more people means more business at his restaurant Pizza at the Beach.
"You can't stop growth. The town's growing a little too fast, but you take the good with the bad."
