Members of the Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake with their petition outside the office of Vernon-Lumby MLA, Harwinder Sandhu (Vernon Matters file photo)

By Liam Verster

Water Protection Petition

Petition to prevent septic system installation near Coldstream Creek delivered

Feb 21, 2025 | 3:03 PM

A local group has handed over petitions to protect Coldstream Creek and Kalamalka Lake from potential pollutants Friday.

The Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake launched the action to bring awareness of concerns raised by Greater Vernon Water about the system being too close to the creek and the potential of a leak getting into the water, and then the lake.

“We’ve been asking if it’s possible to just look over what it is that they’re proposing to make sure that it does ensure the standards that are needed so that we don’t have the septic system draining into the creek, which would then feed about 80 per cent of the surface water of Kalamalka Lake, which is out drinking water,” Katherine Reiber, a member of the Society, said.

“Kalamalka Lake has historically been a low nutrient, oligotrophic lake, and that has made it an amazing swimming and water source” Simone Runyan, who’s also with the Society said.

Runyan added there have been more nutrients entering the lake in recent years from human activity and other sources, such as fertilizers being used in the area, human and livestock waste, and birds that feed at the dump then come down to the water.

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The group said if more nutrients were to enter the lake it could become polluted, and possibly cause more cases of algae blooms, water restrictions, and swimmer’s itch.

“Fundamentally, it’s just really important to keep those nutrients on land, where they make plants nice and green and they can help suck up carbon dioxide and feed us, and keep them low in the water so we don’t get algae blooms and nutrification,” Runyan stated.

Eight members of the Society, dressed in blue, delivered the petition to the office of Vernon-Lumby MLA, Harwinder Sandhu, Friday, Feb. 21.

Members of the Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake with their petition outside the office of Vernon-Lumby MLA, Harwinder Sandhu (Vernon Matters file photo)

The group then travelled to the Vernon Health Unit to deliver a copy to Interior Health.

“Interior Health oversees septic systems when they’re small, so this is going to Interior Health,” Runyan explained.

Also, the target of this petition is provincial ministries, MLAs, Tara Armstrong and Harwinder Sandhu.

Runyan added septic systems fall under the professional reliance model of the Ministry of Environment, and said she wants to see more oversight involved in the installations.

The petitioners said the document would be delivered to the office of Armstrong, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, at a later date. Both Sandhu and Armstrong were in Victoria Friday.

The Society was able to collect over 3,000 signatures in the petition after being launched in early January, with Runyan saying 90 to 95 per cent of the signees were Vernon or Coldstream residents.

“I think it’s great [to have so many signatures] and I think we could probably have a lot more people saying that they really truly care for Kalamalka Lake,” Runyan said.

“This group has done an amazing amount of outreach to friends and family, on social media and in-person, and just sharing their concern and enthusiasm. We all recreate, we drink the water, it’s our jewel in the crown. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of love for Kal Lake, it’s certainly not just our group.”

The group also noted that they weren’t “protestors,” but instead saw themselves as “protectors” of the lake.

“We’re not here to fight or anything like that, we really want to bring awareness to people in the community,” Reiber said.

“A lot of people don’t know that Kal Lake is actually a huge part of our drinking water here in Vernon, but everybody does know about the beautiful colours. Everyone knows they’re pulled in by the blue-green-turquoise-aquamarine olours; there’s people everyday who want to be out on that lake, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, out with their families. So it’s summer that everybody feels really passionate about, and whenever we gather or speak about Kal Lake, everybody comes with their hearts and wants to share about how much they love it.”

The group noted the water wasn’t just important for people, but for wildlife as well, stating an approximate 20,0000 kokanee salmon spawned in Coldstream Creek in 2024.