Kelowna Daily Courier-2008-11-23
Opponents of a proposal by Big White to take water from the Kettle Valley River will have a chance to formally have their say – and they have a lot to say.
Big White has applied to take water from three creeks in the Kettle Valley watershed, which opponents say is already starting to run dry.
Travis Lowe, an angler and former guide, says he has fished the Kettle River “religiously” for the last 10 years.
“Year after year, I have watched the water levels drop in the Kettle and West Kettle to critical flow levels as a result of over-subscribed water licences,” says Lowe, who releases all the fish he catches.
“It used to be you could float the Kettle into August and sometimes September. But the West Kettle now runs dry in certain sections starting in August. There just isn‘t any water in the watershed to withdraw.
“It‘s extremely outrageous that the ministry would even consider such an environmentally irresponsible water licence application. I think it‘s crazy.”
But Big White‘s Michael J. Ballingall said the resort won‘t need the Kettle water for many years.
Big White now stores water in two lakes, Rhonda and Lake Paul, said Ballingall. “We don‘t plan on building reservoirs for many years,” he said. “We don‘t need any water now. We have plenty of water. In runoff seasons, we have to open the floodgates at Rhonda Lake so it doesn‘t overflow.”
He said that the plan calls for only catching water in the spring “when it‘s flooding down stream.”
“We‘re going to catch that water during runoff,” he said. “We‘re never going to catch water after June 1. The people who worry about the summer water and the rivers running dry, that will have nothing to do with Big White.”
He said long-term plans propose two golf courses and another 5,000-10,000 beds.
“But you‘re talking about something in 2025 or 2030,” he said.
“The government has told us to apply for the licence. If you‘re going to need water in the future, apply for it now. That‘s what the government has told us.”
Ballingall said he will welcome public consultation.Conservationist Fred Marshall claimed Big White‘s plans for water use go beyond just snow making.
“The current and new applications, with 20 per cent of the water proposed for snow making and 80 per cent for personal use, indicate that the real money to be realized from these developments is from the construction and sale of condos and very little from skiing, said Marshall.
“The Kettle River is already over-committed relative to water licences and the addition of additional ones, especially those in the sensitive headwaters of the river, will seriously jeopardize all existing water licence users downstream of these headwaters.”
Mark Angelo of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. said the Kettle River ranks sixth on the organization‘s endangered list and he wants to go further than just opposing the Big White application to protect the river.
“This issue has been percolating for a long time,” he said. “There have been definite signs of excessive water extraction pressures already.
For the first time, we‘ve seen no runoff or peak. There are times we see the river at an all-time low flow.
“We believe there is a need to establish a watershed management plan for the Kettle River. That‘s something we don‘t have yet.”
He said his member groups will make formal presentations to the Ministry of Environment opposing the application.
Kate Thompson, spokesperson for the ministry, denied claims by some that the application is going ahead without public consultation.
“They (Big White) haven‘t consulted with First Nations yet,” she said. “They have to put together another development plan for approval. There wouldn‘t be a decision until the environmental and community impacts are considered. The application is not a fait accompli.”
Opponents of a proposal by Big White to take water from the Kettle Valley River will have a chance to formally have their say – and they have a lot to say.
Big White has applied to take water from three creeks in the Kettle Valley watershed, which opponents say is already starting to run dry.
Travis Lowe, an angler and former guide, says he has fished the Kettle River “religiously” for the last 10 years.
“Year after year, I have watched the water levels drop in the Kettle and West Kettle to critical flow levels as a result of over-subscribed water licences,” says Lowe, who releases all the fish he catches.
“It used to be you could float the Kettle into August and sometimes September. But the West Kettle now runs dry in certain sections starting in August. There just isn‘t any water in the watershed to withdraw.
“It‘s extremely outrageous that the ministry would even consider such an environmentally irresponsible water licence application. I think it‘s crazy.”
But Big White‘s Michael J. Ballingall said the resort won‘t need the Kettle water for many years.
Big White now stores water in two lakes, Rhonda and Lake Paul, said Ballingall. “We don‘t plan on building reservoirs for many years,” he said. “We don‘t need any water now. We have plenty of water. In runoff seasons, we have to open the floodgates at Rhonda Lake so it doesn‘t overflow.”
He said that the plan calls for only catching water in the spring “when it‘s flooding down stream.”
“We‘re going to catch that water during runoff,” he said. “We‘re never going to catch water after June 1. The people who worry about the summer water and the rivers running dry, that will have nothing to do with Big White.”
He said long-term plans propose two golf courses and another 5,000-10,000 beds.
“But you‘re talking about something in 2025 or 2030,” he said.
“The government has told us to apply for the licence. If you‘re going to need water in the future, apply for it now. That‘s what the government has told us.”
Ballingall said he will welcome public consultation.Conservationist Fred Marshall claimed Big White‘s plans for water use go beyond just snow making.
“The current and new applications, with 20 per cent of the water proposed for snow making and 80 per cent for personal use, indicate that the real money to be realized from these developments is from the construction and sale of condos and very little from skiing, said Marshall.
“The Kettle River is already over-committed relative to water licences and the addition of additional ones, especially those in the sensitive headwaters of the river, will seriously jeopardize all existing water licence users downstream of these headwaters.”
Mark Angelo of the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. said the Kettle River ranks sixth on the organization‘s endangered list and he wants to go further than just opposing the Big White application to protect the river.
“This issue has been percolating for a long time,” he said. “There have been definite signs of excessive water extraction pressures already.
For the first time, we‘ve seen no runoff or peak. There are times we see the river at an all-time low flow.
“We believe there is a need to establish a watershed management plan for the Kettle River. That‘s something we don‘t have yet.”
He said his member groups will make formal presentations to the Ministry of Environment opposing the application.
Kate Thompson, spokesperson for the ministry, denied claims by some that the application is going ahead without public consultation.
“They (Big White) haven‘t consulted with First Nations yet,” she said. “They have to put together another development plan for approval. There wouldn‘t be a decision until the environmental and community impacts are considered. The application is not a fait accompli.”
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