Lake plan faces fight

Lake plan faces fight By ANDREA MAYNARD of The Advocate A well- known environmental­ist is preparing to fight a contro­versial plan to raise the level of Buffalo Lake. Martha Kostuch, a Rocky Mountain House veterinarian, said her lawyers believe she has a good case against the federal government, which granted cru­cial approvals for the project " I am prepared to lead the ef­fort," said Dr. Kostuch, who is now looking for backing from environmental groups. The Alberta government plans to raise the level of Buf­falo Lake near Premier Don Getty's Stettler- area home, about half a metre to raise its recreation potential. The provincial and federal governments granted final ap­provals for the project two weeks ago. But environmentalists say the project is a waste of money and could destroy habitat for ani­mals like the endangered piping plover bird. Dr. Kostuch said her battle will depend on finding an envi­ronmental group to support legal action. If successful, she plans to fight the federal government's decision not to conduct an envi­ronmental assessment of the project. The federal transportation de­partment has allowed the proj­ect to proceed without a permit under the Navigable Waters Protection Act. That decision was made without any environ­mental assessment, said Dr. Kos­tuch.