‘It will negatively impact all who live, breathe, drink and eat from that water’: Group opposes discharge into lake

A local environmental group is opposed to the City of Vernon’s plan to discharge reclaimed wastewater into Okanagan Lake.

The city is taking the action due to its MacKay reservoir nearing maximum storage capacity due to reduced demand for spray irrigation on golf courses, playing fields and farm land the last few years.

City officials told a news conference Monday the reservoir is nearing capacity “due to factors outside the city’s control,” with climate change cited as “probably the biggest factor,” by Serge Kozin, manager of Vernon’s Water Reclamation Centre.

Huguette Allen, a director with the Vernon-based Sustainable Environment Network Society (SENS), says no matter how thorough the treatment, wastewater still contains endocrine disrupters (EDCs) along with pesticides, pharmacenticals and other minute quantities of chemicals that have been proven to affect aquatic life and human health.

“Minute quantities of EDCs are especially dangerous. Scientists have discovered that hormone mimickers have a stronger effect when the quantities are tiny rather than large for small doses are absorbed as if they were natural hormones while large quantities are rejected,” Allen told Vernon Matters.

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Allen says up to 50 per cent of drugs ingested are lost in urine.

SENS, as part of the Liquid Waste Management Committee in 2013, spoke strongly against discharging any treated sewage into the lake.

“All compounds that enter the lake will eventually be absorbed through drinking or the skin of swimmers and will negatively impact all who live, breathe, drink and eat from that water. Amphibians, ducks, geese, aquatic birds, fish, all will be affected as demonstrated by all the studies done on the impact of EDCs,” Allen added.

The group is recommending the city to prepare for future climate change impacts.

“SENS understands that climate change may be forcing actions such as this one which is why we feel it is urgent for Vernon Council to urgently prepare how to address all the new challenges that drought, floods, storms, will bring as they are sure to affect existing infrastructures,” Allen said.

Allen also would like to see the city set a challenge for all residents to drastically reduce their water usage and provide media with stories on what they are doing to reduce water use and how much water they are saving.

“We feel the public would gladly embark on this since they don’t want to see treated sewage in the lake. Also perhaps a depression in or near Vernon could be used to temporarily alleviate the problem. The discharged water would at least be filtered prior to reaching underground,” Allen added.