The last paragraph of the media release is cause for concern. When the Duteau treatment plant was first announced I expressed doubts about its effectiveness for eliminating Giardia and Cryptosporidium. I was repeatedly reassured that indeed these cysts would be eliminated by the DUF treatment. It is now publicly acknowledged that is not the case. This is why Interior Health insists on the construction of a filtration plant.
You may have seen on CHBC that Kelowna recently showed off their new water treatment plant serving about 65,000 customers. It was interesting to note that there was no filtration plant attached and it does not seem to be a request from IH, whereas it is my understanding that a filtration plant will eventually be demanded by IH for the Kalamalka water source as well. One is left wondering!
You may have seen on CHBC that Kelowna recently showed off their new water treatment plant serving about 65,000 customers. It was interesting to note that there was no filtration plant attached and it does not seem to be a request from IH, whereas it is my understanding that a filtration plant will eventually be demanded by IH for the Kalamalka water source as well. One is left wondering!
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1 comment:
Coldstreamer, thanks for picking up on this point - and for not letting it go!
Up to this point, we've only been told that IHA required filtration for 'surface water sources' as part of their 4-3-2-1 approach. See Interior Health's Countdown to Safer Water (PDF):
"2 refers to two treatment processes for all surface water or unprotected groundwater"
"2 - Treatment Barriers
A minimum of two treatment barriers is required for water that is at risk of containing pathogens. Filtration and disinfection should be considered on most water supplies to ensure a safe supply of water. UV light and chlorination can be considered for source water that meets the criteria for the exclusion of filtration as outlined in the GCDWQ (for example, a well beside a lake)."
So then, what are the criteria for exclusion from filtration? This may be decided on a case-by-case basis, but apparently, an uncontrolled watershed such as what we have with Kalamalka Lake should automatically preclude the deferral option for this source.
So that would mean filtration is required for both Duteau AND Kalamalka Lake.
Nothing was previously said about filtration required to remove Giardia and Crypto, at least not by GVWU in recent memory. One wonders if these are simply scare tactics to justify the horrendous spending that must soon occur?
So many questions now.
If this (Crypto/Giardia concern) is true, who decided NOT to build the filtration plant that we apparently required for our drinking water safety? Who justified spending $30 million on a DAF+chlorination plant that is apparently not yet good enough?
If this is NOT true, what is the difference between Kelowna's water source and Duteau and Kalamalka?
And what is the scoop on filtration for Kal Lake and why isn't this being discussed RIGHT NOW?
We tax/ratepayers would sure like to know!
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