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Perhaps the most surprising comment at the Special GVAC meeting was this exchange:
Director Gyula Kiss insists one issue is paramount above all others. “What is the most secure water source at the lowest cost for treatment?” he said. Kiss wants domestic use to switch from Duteau Creek to Okanagan Lake, but some staff question that concept. “We have not done any water quality studies on the north end of Okanagan Lake,” said Dale McTaggart, general manager of engineering.
That is exactly the point I was concerned about since 2002. There is no way one should embark on a 40-50 year Master Water Plan without fully investigating all the water sources, especially the one as important as Okanagan Lake. The security of water availability itself should put Okanagan Lake ahead of all other sources.
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4 comments:
RE: GVAC Water
Another committee is not the answer, I see it as a delay tactic and a smoke screen as RDNO moves forward on the old Duteau-based Water Plan. Acknowledgement of a need, right now, to have an independent 3rd party assessment of the Master Water Plan is what intelligent caring politicians would do. The fear is that an independent review would certainly elevate Okanagan Lake in status, and make a lot of expenditure to date look foolish and wasted.
Yes please, let's bring on the "INDEPENDENT" review! NO ONE in their RIGHT MIND will ever again suggest Okanagan Lake as a source of good, clean water!
Here are the facts on Okanagan Lake water (that you don't need to pay a consultant to tell you):
1. In the City of Vernon alone around Okanagan Lake, there are still 1,100 homes on septic.
2. There is no sewer on the westside of the lake - so how many other homes are on septic, maintained or not, or simply flushing it all straight in?
3. The water quality in the Kin arm of the lake is terrible - nutrient-loaded and filthy from uncontrolled runoff. There is no stormwater utility mitigating these impacts on the lake. Ever wonder why does the milfoil grow so??
4. And don't forget, the sewer outfall pipe!
Source water protection for Okanagan Lake will bankrupt us, long before building the ALWAYS-REQUIRED Filtration Plant at Duteau Creek.
And speaking of wasting money... If we had built the filter at the same time as the clarification plant, as it was supposed to have been done, it would have cost us $10 million. Ten years on, $20 million. Now, in 2012 dollars, $26.5 million, and who knows how much when IHA finally orders us to do it.
So the question that should be asked of our politicians is: why do we keep deferring this necessary project?
$26.5 million sounds like a lot of money, but it is still the smallest investment we can make to bring our system into compliance with provincial standards.
I could argue with you Anonymous June 2 but what's the use? You know it all. By the way, the consultants who spent $66 millions, $45 of which was on the Duteau system, also recommended to request an additional 50,000 megaliters water license on Okanagan Lake for future domestic water supply. Perhaps they were not in their RIGHT MIND!
Comments on the post(June 2 at 7:44):
Point 1
In the City of Vernon, there is sewage collection around both sides of the Vernon arm of Okanagan Lake. I am unaware of septic tanks around the lake except in the higher areas. Where the poster gets 1,100 septic tanks around the lake within the City of Vernon is beyond me. Someone should check with both the City and IHA to silence this.
Point 2.
On the west side of the lake (Okananan Indian Band) there is no sewage system. The leased lots all dispose of sewage either in pit toilets or in septic systems. There is no question that nutrients and coliforms are entering the lake from these sources, but the amount has little or no effect on the overall quality of the lake.
Points 3 and 4
Stormwater enters Okanagan Lake via Vernon Creek and other discharge pipes such as at Adventure Bay. Stormwater is not treated in BC since it contains very little contaminants, and would cost a fortune to construct facilities to treat basically water.
The milfoil commenced in the late 1960's when the City was discharging nutrient rich wastewater into Vernon Creek and the areas around the lake were still on septic systems. Since the discharge was removed in 1977, the nutrient content of the Vernon arm of the lake has reduced substantially. The milfoil is still harvested since there is still phosphorus and nitrogen in the lake, and small amounts are entering from things like fertilizer runoff.
As for the outfall pipe, since it was installed in the 1990's, it has been used only once in the late 1990's due to an emergency situation, and has not been used since. So, the reference to the outfall pipe is unclear.
If Okanagan Lake was used for a water intake, source water protection would not be an issue as the writer states. The example of Kelowna's intake shows us that raw water quality in the lake is excellent and needs only disinfection to meet the Provincial Drinking Water Objectives.
The writer fails to understand the issue of providing potable water quality to serve more agricultural uses than potable uses. It is this kind of uniformed citizen who needs a lesson on reality.
As I write this, we are enjoying a relaxing holiday in an RV park beside the Bow River in Cochrane.
Eric Jackson
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