Vernon and Districts Taxpayers Association NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers Association is vehemently opposed to the dumping of waste water into Okanagan Lake. There is a Supreme Court Ruling that resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environment, the City of Vernon and A.L. Hill forbidding such actions by the City unless the level of McKay Reservoir reaches 1939 feet geodesic elevation. The Reservoir is nowhere near that level. Why is the City asking to change the rules? The City now claims that 100% land based reclaimed water is no longer technically and economically feasible due to "the recent level of growth in the City". However, they offer no impact evidence which leaves the following questions unanswered:
1. Does the City of Vernon intend to phase out land based disposal?
2. Why has $600,000 worth of waste water pipe been installed to The Rise?
3. Will 'partial' land based disposal only include bargain rate water (at present $0) to three golf courses? Such a dual system will be very costly to taxpayers.
4. What will happen to City-owned land on the Commonage? Will it be sold to developers?
5. The City will need Okanagan Lake for future domestic water supply. What happens when the city grows and has to get its water from Okanagan Lake?
6. Kelowna, which gets its domestic water from the Lake and discharges waste water into the Lake had a major outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis a few years ago. Are we going to face the same problem?
7. Kelowna also faced a critical emergency recently when contaminants eliminated the bacteria used to treat the sewage. Are we going to face similar problems?
8. Saving water is a major objective of GVW. How much treated domestic water will be wasted when treated wastewater will have to be replaced by expensive, treated domestic water?
The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers Association urges Vernon City Council to consider the consequences of this ill conceived plan of returning to lake disposal. We, the taxpayers of this community, request a public input session at the earliest possible date.
Contact: A. L. Hill Tel: 545-1648 Email: Alanhill@shaw.ca
• Gyula Kiss Tel: 545-8772 Email: gyula1@shaw.ca
Copies to: Vernon City Council, Morning Star, Courier, CHBC-TV, SUN-FM, KISS-FM, the Province, The Vancouver Sun, Sierra Defense Legal Fund, Okanagan Indian Band
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Don Quixote Note: The City's letter to the Ministry of environment concerning this matter can be found at http://www.vernon.ca/news/docs/060726.pdf