Greater Vernon's drinking water is much improved with the new treatment facility in the Lavington area, but there's still millions of dollars of improvements in the works. Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick tells KISS FM, a 20 million dollar filtration system is a priority, to further clarify the water. "But people have to realize, before filtration what needs to happen is separation of the agricultural (and domestic) water because otherwise, what we would be doing is putting treated water onto agricultural land, using it for irrigating. That's craziness." Garlick says separation will also allow the system to use grey water for irrigation in the future. The 29 million dollar treatment plant is getting positive reviews from Duteau Creek customers, and NORD's engineering G-M Arnold Badke says its still being fine tuned. "It will get better with time because there's also a learning curve for our operators on how to operate the plant, and when demand increases, how to react to it." The new plant provides water for 15,000 homes and businesses in Greater Vernon.Photo: Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant (P.McIntyre)
5 comments:
I can only imagine that the cost of separation of agricultural water (untreated water piped all over the valley) would far exceed the value of agricultural production for many years to come!
Probably wont be money left for that now because Interior Health is demanding that $20 mill be spent on a new filtration plant.....didnt realize they set the standards for us....
Each area should pay its own separation costs.
Anyone watch CHBC news last night?
What a shame that the Mayor of Vernon and Chair of NORD apparently cannot bring themselves, despite their eloquent speeches in the paper, to simply celebrate the fact that this plant was built and is now operating, that it represents a HUGE milestone for our Master Water Plan, and a significant improvement in water security for many regional residents.
Instead, they bashed the Interior Health Authority, thereby generating negative publicity instead of celebrating positive news about the opening of the new plant.
Yes, I can hear you saying already that the media only picks up on the negative - well then, don't say anything negative in the first place!
But much more importantly, try to be correct!
The former Minister responsible for IHA (Ida Chong) wrote a letter to the editor in the Morning Star just a few days prior to the opening of the plant, to correct the misinformation that the Mayor appears to be so fond of repeating.
Here is what she wrote:
MINISTER RESPONDS
I’m writing to set the record straight about comments attributed to me in a recent article about drinking water resources in the Vernon area (Water standards fuel debate, Oct. 16).
In contrast to what the article stated, regional health authorities, including Interior Health, do not set their own drinking water standards. They all use current provincial legislation, specifically the drinking water protection and public health acts, which ensure that communities follow and move towards standards for new and existing water systems.
Provincial drinking water standards ensure residents have access to safe and clean drinking water, and drinking water officers use guidelines on a case-by-case basis to assess drinking water challenges.
I’m aware that among health authorities there might be different approaches to implementation, and we are all striving for greater consistency across the province. But all health authorities are in fact using the B.C. standards and guidelines and I can assure everyone that health authorities are acting to protect the health of people living in communities.
The provincial government, regional health authorities and local governments are working together to support the development of infrastructure and resources that ensure British Columbians across the province continue to have access to clean and safe drinking water now and in the years ahead.
Ida Chong,
Minister of Healthy Living
And one more thing: if we do need to build that filtration plant, we shall surely be calling on the province and feds to help us fund it. So what will work better - a respectful, cooperative approach, or a stick in the eye?
It's incredible to have clear water from the new plant. However, we cannot stop there. I am far more concerned with having safe drinking water that meets the provincial saftey standards, for the future.
At this time, you may feel comfortable with the drinking quality of the water. As one of the officials stated on a TV interview, "Well, no-one has gotten sick yet."
That is not good enough. It's important to remember that the provincial standards are in place for a reason, and to look forward to what the future water quality will be. If we wait 10-20 years for a problem like Walkerton to appear, which is not unrealistic, the cost of building the filtration system at that point will have sky rocketed.
Water quality is of the highest importance. If we bring the water up to provincial standards now, our water will likely be safe for the next 50 or more years. That is a worthy investment, especially when concerning peoples health.
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