Farm sorry for Spall spill

The manager of a farm in Spallumcheen where a sewage lagoon breached its banks last Thursday has apologized for the incident and said remedial action was taken quickly.

Spallumcheen council wants the farm to be fined and the matter was brought up in the Legislature on Tuesday.

“First and foremost, I would like to personally apologize to the community of Spallumcheen that this took place,” said John Kampman of Gracemar Farms Ltd in a written statement. “We are extremely sorry this event transpired, all the more so in light of concern around contamination issues involving the local aquifer.”

About 300 residents in the Hullcar Valley have been on a drinking water advisory for almost three years due to cancer causing nitrates in the water.

Residents worried that the manure which was spread on nearby fields after the lagoon breach would eventually leech into the water table making their water that much more dangerous.

But the farmer said efforts are being taken so that won't happen.

“We have taken strong and immediate steps to rectify this issue, achieving rapid containment. Intensive clean-up efforts are underway to prevent groundwater contamination. Heavy rainfall and winter snows filled the lagoon more quickly than expected, while the snow hid the actual level in the lagoon and it breached and overflowed.”

Kampman said the farm only spread the manure runoff on the field as an emergency measure, that is has been mixed with shavings and it will all be hauled out Tuesday and Wedneday.

“In the aftermath of this event will be reviewing our facilities and protocols to assure there is no repeat of this incident in the future. We thank the community for their patience and understand the heightened level of concern in this region.”

While the spill began on Thursday, Spallumcheen Mayor Janice Brown told Castanet the township only learned about it on Saturday even though Ministry of the Environment officials knew what was happening. 

At Monday's meeting, council passed a resolution to demand the Ministry of Environment impose the maximum fine allowable against Grace Mar, said a person who was in attendance.

During Question Period in the Legislature, New Democrat environment critic George Heyman asked why officials had not told the Splatsin First Nation, Spall council or residents who lived near the spill.

Provincial officials are expected to hold a Mar. 3 public meeting on the tainted water issue.