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The five chiefs of the Nicola Valley First Nations declared a moratorium on sludge dumping at a ceremony in Shulush Thursday afternoon.

The five chiefs represent the Upper Nicola, Nooaitch, Lower Nicola, Shackan and Coldwater Indian bands.

They are Chief Harvey McLeod, Chief Marcel Shackelly, Chief Aaron Sam, Chief Percy Joe and Chief Lee Spahan, and were joined in support by members of the group Friends of the Nicola Valley.

They have been fighting the importation of sewage sludge from several municipalities in B.C. to different points around the Nicola. 

Most recently, the chiefs occupied Premier Christy Clark's office in West Kelowna, but to no avail. 

"We met with the premier's chief of staff on Monday, Mr. Dan Doyle," said Chief Aaron Sam of the Lower Nicola Indian Band. "We had discussions and, unfortunately, we came out of that meeting with no agreements. It was after that we decided, instead of asking the government for a moratorium, we would impose our own based on our own idnigenous laws."

Several municipalities in the Central Okanagan Regional District, including West Kelowna, but also other cities in the Lower Mainland, have been trucking their sewage sludge for composting near Merritt. 

"They're not bringing it to a facility, but they're disposing of it on fields or other lands and a lot of the times, the fields are near water sources," Sam said. "It affects water, land, animals, fish. In some sites, it's close to residential areas – it has a terrible stench, and many people are concerned about the potential health effects as well."

Sam said the chiefs are prepared to take any necessary steps under both indigenous and Canadian laws to ensure the moratorium is honoured and respected. 

​He added the road blocks and protests have been organized by community members and the Friends of Nicola Valley. The group consists of both First Nations and non-native members. 

"I'm not sure what they plan on doing now," he said. 

Sam said the dumping is taking place on Crown land and on private land. 

"There's no requirement for consultation, with First Nations or with the landowners next door," Sam said. "This is not just a First Nations issue, it's an issue many people in the Nicola Valley have concerns about."

Sam said they just want the province to open a real dialogue and to look at sustainable solutions to make everyone happy. 

"We would like to collaborate with them. We know biosolids aren't going away, and there's a legal obligation for the government to consult with us."

Kevin Van Vliet, utility services manager with the City of Kelowna said Vernon, Kelowna and Lake Country all send their sewage sludge to the OgoGrow regional compost facility in Vernon on Commonage Road. 

In Penticton, waste water undergoes primary, secondary and tertiary treatment at the Penticton Advance Waste Water Treatment Plant.

"Once these processes are complete, biosolids go through extra processing steps and then are taken to Campbell Mountain landfill, where they are composted into Class A compost," said Simone Blais, media relations for the City of Penticton.