Water quality facts explored

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 15, 2009 6:00 PM

Fears that sewage effluent could be streaming into Greater Vernon’s drinking water are being discounted. The Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake is the latest organization to raise concerns about the spraying of sewage at Silver Star Mountain. The major concerns are that this is happening too close to the headwaters of Coldstream Creek and Vance Creek. Coldstream Creek flows right into Kalamalka Lake, a major source of drinking water for Greater Vernon. Vance Creek is also a water source, in the Lumby region. “Should we be alarmed? Is this raw sewage?” asked Louise Christie, one of the society’s directors. The concerns were presented to Coldstream council Monday, where Christie pointed to You Tube videos, posted by the Citizens Coalition to Save Silver Star Provincial Park. “It showed quite a disturbing event happening on Silver Star Mountain,” said Christie, of images of a sewage lagoon excavation and treated effluent being sprayed. Silverhawk Utilities actually manages and operates the water and wastewater system at Silver Star.Plant operator Jim Huffman says concerns being raised are lacking in facts.

“They use the word sewage a lot. Because sewage gets people’s attention,” said Huffman. “We do not dump raw sewage into creeks. I would go to jail.” Huffman adds that everything the company does has to go through the Ministry of Environment. “We’ve got nothing to hide.”He has even tried to ease previous concerns by inviting local representatives as well as concerned citizens on a tour of the site. Rick Fairbairn, Area D representative, went on that tour, along with another sample tour in October. “Now we’re not scientists and how are we to say that what they’re spraying out meets the levels?” said Fairbairn. But, he says: “We were led to believe that it does meet certain criteria and it was safe.” Huffman explains that the acceptable level of fecal matter is 1,000 parts per million. The levels taken from the sample tour, with an analysis date of Oct. 15, are well within the safe range. At two sample sites at the Vance Creek headwaters the numbers are less than one and 13. Down the creek at Trinity Valley Road, two sites have readings of two and 15. At Vance Creek Ranch the number is 30. Along Coldstream Creek the numbers are as follows: Noble Canyon Road - 44, near Coldstream Lumber Sales - 860, Coldstream Cemetery - 140 and Kirkland Drive - 380. While the numbers are relatively low further up the mountain, Huffman explains that the higher numbers below can usually be attributed to a form of fecal that is not human. “There can be 200, 300, 400 head of cattle in the creek,” he said of certain sampling sites.But further up the mountain, the numbers show that the water is clean. “The water that comes out of this creek is pristine,” said Huffman. “I would drink it. “The water is cleaner than the water that goes into the lake by Coldstream Ranch.”

In response to public concerns, Sarah D. Yewish has provided The Morning Star with information on behalf of Silverhawk Utilities director R. L. Sukovieff. The submission reads: “If any contamination occurs it has been proven to have nothing to do with Silver Star or its wastewater treatment facility.” In response to concerns about spray irrigation, the release states: “At Silver Star, due to a general lack of public acceptance to dispose of the treated effluent into a stream, the wastewater is treated then disposed of by an approved irrigation method. The treatment system and the disposal system have all the necessary approvals and are operated and monitored as per B.C. Government Guidelines and Regulations “The City of Vernon treats their wastewater and then disposes of the treated effluent in the same manner as Silver Star; that is, by spray-irrigation on the hillsides and pastures above south Vernon called the Commonage. This method of disposal is widely accepted and very common.”The Ministry of Environment failed to return Morning Star phone calls by press time.