By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 24, 2013 1:00 AM
The battle against a weed has a new source of water flowing for some Greater Vernon residents. Rototilling on Kalamalka Lake has created turbidity,
meaning that source of water for about 30,000 customers has been shut
off. They were switched over to Duteau Creek water Thursday. “Rototilling stirs up sediment and it can’t be
avoided,” said Al Cotsworth, utilities manager with the Regional
District of North Okanagan. Turbidity indicates there are materials suspended in the water and that can possibly impact quality. Water will be supplied from Duteau Creek until about March 31 when rototilling is completed. Cotsworth says a similar situation occurred in 2009 and
amalgamation of the water utility has provided the opportunity to use
one source when another is unavailable. There are no health-related affects to customers because of the switch-over. Customers who are not normally on the Duteau Creek
source will notice the water is much softer and the water has a low
alkalinity and pH. This may be of interest to customers who have in-home water treatment systems or aquariums. “There is an incredible difference in hardness between the sources,” said Cotsworth. RDNO is working with the Okanagan Basin Water Board to
find solutions that meet both milfoil removal and water quality
objectives. “We want them to rototill because if the milfoil grows,
the water quality decreases. When the plant dies and rots, it creates
phosphorus,” said Cotsworth.
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Don Quixote Note: http://vernonblog.blogspot.ca/2012/05/duteau-plant-solves-water-issue.html
(Plant was also shut down in early 2012 (Friday May 4) for Turbidity readings above 5)
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