Gov. urged to take action

Photo: Facebook - SHAT - Save Hullcar Aquifer Team

An open letter from three Okanagan hydrogeologists with Western Water Associated is slamming the province for its lack of action on the Hullcar aquifer contamination.

“After attending the April 14 Hullcar Aquifer Inter-Ministry Action Plan meeting at the Hullcar Hall, we are dismayed at both the response by the Ministries of Health, Environment and Agriculture to date, and with their proposed plans to address the nitrate contamination in the Steele Springs community water source,” Ryan Rhodes, Douglas J. Geller and Bryer Manwell wrote in the letter was sent to to the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Interior Health Authority.

The government plans call for a year-long study; however, the authors said “this study, in and of itself will do nothing to alleviate the contamination of a drinking water source in the near term.”
The co-signers of the letter are all hydrogeologists and professional engineers or geoscientists with the Vernon-based company.

“We have familiarized ourselves with the information currently available including review of previous reports prepared for the Hullcar aquifer systems, environmental monitoring data collected by the Ministry of Environment and water quality data collected by the Steele Springs Waterworks District and submitted routinely to Interior Health. We have also collected recent water level data and water quality samples from selected wells.

“Based on our review, it is our professional opinion that effluent spreading on the field of concern by Jansen and Sons Farms Ltd. is extremely likely, if not certainly, the source of most of the nitrate contamination in Steele Springs.”

The letter goes on to say there is some ambient background concentration of nitrate-nitrogen, Steel Springs is the main contributor.

“There is little doubt in our minds that the reason for elevated nitrate concentrations in Steele Springs is due to liquid effluent spreading on the so-called “field of concern,” which is currently under a Ministry of Environment Compliance Order. This compliance order unfortunately allowed continued application of effluent and now, two years later, the drinking water is still contaminated.”

The authors said they “do not believe public health and protection of the environment is being held paramount in government’s handling of this issue. Moving forward, a precautionary approach is warranted for this situation. It is clear contamination of a drinking water source has occurred and is occurring. This contamination poses a clear risk to public health based on guidelines put in place by Health Canada and routinely enforced by Interior Health.

The prudent action to be taken is to impose a moratorium on further liquid effluent spreading on the field of concern until the situation is fully understood and it can be scientifically demonstrated that resuming liquid effluent spreading will not impact water quality at Steele Springs.”

The government is being asked to take action and impose a moratorium on the use of liquid effluent.