The issue of unsafe drinking water in Spallumcheen reached the floor of the provincial Legislature.
Health minister Terry Lake came under fire from NDP MLAs Lana Popham of Saanich South, who is the opposition spokesperson for agriculture and food, and George Heyman of Vancouver Fairview, spokesperson for green economy.
Heyman told colleagues that Okanagan residents are subject to 125 water system safety advisories but specifically mentioned Spallumcheen, where the Steele Springs Water District and other users of the Hullcar aquifers have been under a water quality advisory since March 2014 due to high nitrate levels found in the water.
The source of the nitrate, say residents, is one large dairy farm that sprays manure above the aquifer.
Heyman said the government “won’t even provide the local waterworks district with the test results and documents the environment ministry relied upon in its decision to allow manure spraying above the aquifer,” then asked why the minister of environment why residents shouldn’t have the information they need to ensure their drinking water is safe and protected.
Lake answered.
“Safe drinking water is obviously something that we in the ministry of health and in all health authorities are concerned about,” he said. “Interior Health is working closely with the ministry of environment and the ministry of health to ensure safe drinking water for the residents of Spallumcheen.
“The reality is that the nitrate levels are slightly elevated above normal. In the short term, that’s not a problem. Over the long term, we know, that’s a concern, which is why the ministries are working together to try to pinpoint the source.”
Lake said there are four different agriculture operations that could be impacting that aquifer.
“It’s important to understand exactly where the problem is,” he said.
Popham took Lake to task for assuring Spallumcheen residents that their drinking water “poses no health risk,” and that, according to Lake, the water quality advisory associated with the nearby spraying of millions of litres of liquid cow manure over sandy soils isn’t serious.
“When will the minister stop dismissing serious health concerns to the Okanagan Valley residents and take action to protect their water?” asked Popham.
Lake said Popham was deliberately “mischaracterizing my comments around this.
“What I said was that there is not a do-not-use order,” said Lake. “There is an advisory letting people know that the levels of nitrates, at certain times, have been elevated. Over the long term, that is not a good thing, and it poses a risk for babies under six months of age. That is the concern. That is why the ministries are working hard to understand the source of that nitrate.”
