Logging near a mountain creek (Photo 188517951 © Alpar Benedek | Dreamstime.com)

By Kevin Rothwell

Legislative protection for drinking water sought

Watershed showdown reveals some troubling issues

May 6, 2021 | 9:40 AM

The recent issue of logging by Tolko Industries in the Duteau Creek watershed has opened some eyes on Greater Vernon Water (GVW).

Tolko voluntarily backed away on Wednesday (May 5), but it turns out the company didn’t have to, if they were adamant about proceeding.

“This process has highlighted a lot of gaps in legislation for us, in fact we didn’t understand until this process going forward, that the district manager (B.C. Forests) could not stop this block from proceeding if Tolko had wanted to log it,” Zee Marcolin, RDNO General Manager of Utilities, said.

The GVW is a function of the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) and is a regional partnership between Vernon, Coldstream and Electoral areas B and C.

GVW staff had been in discussions with Tolko for a few years about plans to log a block of timber, near the water intake for the Duteau Creek plant, which supplies around 60 per cent of Greater Vernon water.

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Staff had expressed concern over the impact on infrastructure, water quality and quantity.

When the Vernon-based company announced plans to log the block this month, RDNO kicked into high gear politically and in the media, trying to put a halt to the plan, but there was also an ongoing dialogue with the company.

“It was a positive experience. There were some challenges but certainly there has been much more cooperation, which helps going forward,” David Sewell, RDNO Chief Administrative Officer, said.

Kevin Jewett, Tolko’s Vice President, Woodlands, said they have worked with the regional district and the ministry on the concerns over the past few weeks.

“We value the collaboration we’ve had on this discussion as we explore options to plan and harvest our Annual Allowable Cut and keep our people working,” Jewett said.

RDNO administration told the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, that legislative changes will be necessary to enshrine drinking water protection, to avoid future resource conflicts.