A lack of public access to Stafford Lake may soon be topic of discussion between the County of Lethbridge and the SMRID.
The St. Mary’s River Irrigation District controls the actual lake and owns the boat launch while the access road to the lake is maintained by the County of Lethbridge. The land which fronts the lake and provides for parking is privately owned and was closed to the public earlier this spring.
Without access for parking, the lake can no longer be used by boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts.
“Parking is the critical issue,” said County Manager Dennis Shigematsu.
The issue of access to the lake was recently discussed at the council table and county council approved a motion to discuss the issue with the SMRID.
“It wasn’t the county’s decision to expel all the users,” said Shigematsu.
A parking and day use area along with a long term camping site had been developed on private land but had surpassed its county permitted development of 12 sites. The county notified the land owners of this issue and requested they re-apply for an expanded permit to cover the development.
Shigematsu said the land owners decided to close the site rather than re-apply. Currently the lake can be accessed from the M.D. of Taber side of the lake but parking is also an issue which limits use of the site.
Even if boaters on the county side of the lake could access the boat launch they would be forced to park along the county road which would create a safety issue and would not be allowed by the county.
Shigematsu said the directive from county council is for the county to request a meeting with the SMRID to discuss potential solutions for providing access to Stafford Lake.