Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: May 22, 2010 12:00 PM
Water regulations apply to all Greater Vernon residents no matter what source they are on. While there had been some suggestion about applying restrictions differently between the Kalamalka Lake and Duteau Creek sources, North Okanagan Regional District officials say that hasn’t occurred. “It applies to the whole system,” said Arnold Badke, engineering general manager, of the current stage three status. “There has been no discussion amongst the board about (changing) that.” GVAC chairman Wayne Lippert has wanted recognition that Kal Lake serves 75 per cent of the utility’s customers and it has adequate water supply. He says the utility has the ability to differentiate between Kal Lake and Duteau Creek, which has been impacted by low snowpack and reservoir levels.“One source can be put under restrictions when another is at a different level,” he said. Director Gyula Kiss insists the water restrictions bylaw applies to all sources equally. “We are all in it together. We pay the same,” he said. “If it (equality) goes for payment then it should also go for the inconveniences.”
Kiss is also concerned that supply in Kalamalka Lake won’t remain sustainable if the water it receives from creeks and the ground is low. Recent rainfall has improved conditions in upland reservoirs, but it’s not known yet if restrictions will be downgraded from stage three to two. “We won’t get a reservoir reading until Tuesday,” said Badke, adding that there will have to be significant improvement before a change in stages is considered. “If there is any doubt, we will stay where we are.” Badke says the concern is about the remainder of the year and that a prolonged dry period could put significant strain on water resources. “Caution is still the word,” he said. Any change on water restrictions now requires 36-hour public notice.
Utility officials are also concerned about mudbogging and other activities in the Duteau watershed this long weekend. “It is a chargeable offence under the Forest and Range Act to do damage to the environment. Lakes, reservoirs, streams and wetlands are included,” said Renee Clark, NORD’s senior water quality technologist.
“We encourage anyone that observes mud bogging or damage to the environment to call and report all poachers and polluters at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277) or *7277 on your cell.”
3 comments:
“If it (equality) goes for payment then it should also go for the inconveniences.”
Again Gyla, using your wisdom, then when Antwerp was under do not drink, we should have all been under the same.....we all pay the same.
I am glad we at least know of one person to blame when our water rates are jacked up again next year due to a major deficit this year. We really need some new blood in power, not this old boys club......
The faster that Vernon gets out of Greater Vernon Water the better. We have too many like Kiss-first he complains about not enough revenue because people will reduce their water useage on a/c of the escalating rates,and now he doesn,t want people paying more for using Kal Lake water-has he lost his mind? Now we have this Badke-new guy at Nord who thinks he has all the answers for us!
Yeah that's right, Lippert is the man who sets the priorities for Vernon.
Let's see here... what is the BEST POSSIBLE USE for our drinking water, after it has gone through our homes ONCE for domestic use?
Oh I know! It must be to collect it, treat it to drinking water quality, and then to deliver it at ridiculously low rates to hilltop resorts and golf courses and marginal farmers on the Commonage, spraying that precious water on the land, and leaving us all wondering whether that water will ever reach another aquifer again!
Nevermind that we all paid to build a super duper expensive treatment plant that treats our wastewater to drinking water quality.
See people, all this time, we could have been returning that oh-so-important drinking water (treated back to drinking water quality after we use it once in our homes) BACK TO OUR RESERVOIRS, but instead, our progressive Mayor and Council continue to force us to spend untold MILLIONS of our sewer users dollars (that's you and me, us regular folks) to subsidize CHEAP (RECLAIMED) WATER for marginal farmers on the Commonage and the aforementioned hilltop resorts/golf courses.
Do you think we'd have such a water supply crisis on our hands if we had a domestic system that returned DRINKING WATER to the RESERVOIR so it could be used again for DRINKING WATER?
If you think I'm off my rocker, let's do a little math.
Domestic use accounts for about 6 million cubic metres a year. According to OBWB, outdoor use of that water accounts for 24%. That leaves 76%, or almost 4.5 million cubic metres, that could be recaptured and returned to a reservoir, to be used again as DRINKING WATER.
As long as science is not utilized as the basis for best decision-making in the North Okanagan, we will continue to have water woes (not to mention political strife!)
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