To the editor:
I wish the Regional District of the Central Okanagan and their contractor Biocentral would stop the spin on the biosolids that comes out of the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant. They say that the land application of biosolids is common place, safe for crops and has been done for hundreds of years.
Common: The end product from Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton is a class A biosolid which must have a fecal coliform level less than 1,000 and is used as compost not land application. The regional district product is a class B biosolid which has fecal coliform levels of 1.3 to 2 million and has many application restrictions. For comparison the B.C. government considers any fecal coliform found in well water as a problem.
Safe: After the final land application of class B biosolid, the following restrictions apply—domestic animal grazing is restricted for 60 days and food crops for human consumption with harvested parts above the surface of the land are not to be grown for 18 months and below the surface of the land are not to be grown for 38 months.
Distict of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Peachland, where this poop comes from, fought not to have these biosolids applied on their lands.
Remember when there use to be leaded gas, CFCs and acid rain? We got together and fixed those environmental problems. We should fix this one also.
David Perron, West Kelowna
