There's nothing wrong with innocent pranks. Most of us remember Halloween nights where we'd toilet paper a house, or soap up a car of an ill-tempered neighbour. Of course, somebody would always take it too far with a flaming bag of dog poop, rotten eggs or rocks thrown through a window.
Those were always the bad apples in the gang - the ones who never thought twice about the consequences to themselves, their friends or the people whom they were harassing.
Just before Christmas and just before New Year's Eve, some person or persons decided the waterfall flowing down the front of the Adventure Centre and into a moat-like pond surrounding the structure, was just too tempting to pass up for pranks.
So, some bubble-causing substance, such as dish soap or the like, was poured into the pond, causing the entire body of water to become one big bubble bath.
To the people initiating the prank, I'm sure it seemed like a pretty fun, hilarious and innocent gag. People driving on Hwy. 99 would get a kick out of the big bubble bath in the front of the Adventure Centre, they must've thought. It really doesn't hurt anyone, right?
Wrong. That pond, although set up on a circular system with the waterfall, drains into the Mamquam Blind Channel - a slough which is home to fish, insects and other wildlife.
So just as the community is getting over a massive dumping of chemicals into the Cheakamus by CN - an event that had most of 撸奶社区up in arms over an environmental disaster - other members of the community are doing the exact same thing, but on a lesser scale. Sure, the Adventure Centre can drain that stuff into the sanitation system, but if the so-called prank takes place at night, it will take hours before anyone can react to the problem and turn the right valve.
Not only does pouring soap or whatever into the waterfall pond constitute polluting the environment, but what about the time and money DOS wastes getting the right person on the phone, testing, shutting down and then cleaning out the system? Who do you think pays for that? That's right - you and me, and everyone else in Squamish.
There are also costs involved in making sure there are now security personnel at the Adventure Centre watching out for these people. Also, a report was filed with the local RCMP, so there's more time, money and manpower spent on a not-so-fun, not-so-hilarious, and not-so-innocent prank.
So, to those people with too much time on their hands and not really enough brains to understand the consequences of their actions, I say put that energy towards helping the community by volunteering for the Test of Metal, or helping seniors at Hilltop House. Just leave the bubble baths for your own tub.
