Newsletter

November 1-14 2001

Sixty Groups Province wide sign petition

The court cases for water in the Slocan Valley have not been successful because there is no legislation to protect drinking water and it is imperative that a legal right to clean water be established. As a result the SVWA has joined many other groups provincially in signing the Petition.

The following petition/declaration, which began to be circulated on February 9th, is currently being signed on to by a large variety of British Columbia organizations, community groups, societies, and individuals listed below. Everyone who is interested in bringing about legislated protection of drinking water sources, please sign on, and forward your inclusion to the following address: bctwa@alternatives.com or visit the BC Tapwater Alliance web site at: http://www.alternatives.com/bctwa/. Your support is critical for the future of our drinking water. Thank you.

Protect The Source Of Drinkng Water By Legislating Watershed Reserves

February 13, 2001

Forests play an important role in the protection and replenishment of water, our most precious natural resource. Many of B.C.1s sources of drinking water have been damaged by industrial development such as logging, road-building, mining and grazing.

Many watersheds throughout B.C. are in crisis because of these activities and under existing legislation there is no protection for the source of water.

Health must come before profit. Water needs to be preserved, not treated after it has been compromised. The citizens of this province are demanding the kind of protection offered by more effective, less harmful non-chemical water treatment solutions. These solutions cannot be utilized in the absence of the high quality source water that intact forests provide.

We urge the B.C. government to protect the source of drinking water by legislating “Watershed Reserves”. Watershed Reserves would protect the source of water and be in areas that have no logging, road-building, mining or grazing by specific legislative enactment prohibiting these uses in any forms. Watershed Reserves would reduce the provincial AAC (Allowable Annual Cut) by approximately 2%.

Water quality is one of the most important issues facing the community. Every citizen in this province deserves to drink clean water. The most important way to provide clean water is to protect the source.

Protecting water sources by legislating Watershed Reserves will leave one of nature's richest legacies for our communities, our children and future generations - clean water.

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Ever Vigilant

GROUP REPORTS

Red Mountain Residents Association

In the summer of 2000 SFP constructed the first half of the contentious Road 200 in the Hasty/Vevey Watershed. At the same time, Red Mountain Residents Association filed a petition in BC Supreme Court requesting a Judicial Review of the road permit and associated cutting permits. RMRA requested a temporary Stay of road building until the full case could be heard, but Judge McEwen refused to grant the Stay, stating that waterusers have no legal rights to clean water. Road building continued for that season, after which, in October, the Judicial Review was heard in the Nelson court. After all final documents were submitted, the RMRA had to wait nine months for the unfavourable decision. An Appeal is being considered.

Another Petition for Judicial Review regarding the refusal of the Ministries of Forests and Environment to grant Community Watershed status to the Hasty /Vevey area has been filed in BC Supreme Court.

In the summer of 2000 an appeal to the Forest Practices Board was made by Craig Petitt (Forest Watch and Valhalla Wilderness Society), in association with the RMRA. This appeal concerned misclassification of a large wetland, by SFP's consultants, and the determination by District Manager of Forests, Brian Simpson, allowing part of Road 200 to be constructed in the Riparian Management Area of the wetland. We await a decision.

SFP has recently proceeded with building the south half of Road 200 through the Baby Ruth wetlands. Logging has continued through the summer and further cutting is planned for this winter. Meanwhile, the RMRA is regularily monitoring SFP's industrial activities.

Elliot Anderson Christion Trozzo Watershed Committee

Early this spring SFP entered the Elliot/Anderson (E/A) watersheds and started road building in the headwaters of Goloff, Sawan, and Anderson creeks. People gathered on the road on April 24th and engaged the workers in dialog; SFP stopped the work and met with residents to discuss their concerns. When work continued two weeks later, residents returned to the road. Eventually, SFP employees went around the residents and felled trees for the proposed road, reaching the first section of the Anderson drainage area. On May 12th a permanent camp was established on the planned road site where residents and concerned citizens have maintaned a continuous presence. SFP built the road to the edge of the camp and cut an additional two miles into the forest. All road building work in E/A stopped on May 7th. This spring, after all of the dust cleared from last year's Trozzo Creek protests, SFP began logging above Christian Creek. Over a period of several weeks, approximately 5000 cubic metres of wood was removed from two cut blocks (#154-114 and 154-141) in a series of horizontal strips. While SFP is finished for this year in the Trozzo/Christian watersheds, the Ministry of Forests does plan to do road reconstruction work in the small business license area of Trozzo Creek. EACT (Elliott-Anderson-Christian-Trozzo) Watershed

Last year, twelve people were arrested at protest sites on Trozzo Creek. The police dropped the charges against three people and the prosecution dropped the charges against one person. Mike, Mark and Murray received sentences of 14 days in prison; Sherry received a 14 day conditional sentence (house arrest); Patrick failed to appear in court; and Scott, Chloe and Ed each received sentences of 28 days in prison. All of those convicted were also sentenced to two years probation.

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Perry Ridge Water Users Association

Five Perry Ridge residents have won the right to appeal in the lawsuit filed against them by the BC government. It will be heard in court probably this fall.

Last September, Allen Isaacson, hydrologist, Dr. June Ryder, one of BC's most prominent terrain mapping specialists, and Frank Baumann, professional engineer, met with the Minister of Environment in Victoria. They urged that there was not enough information available to safely make any logging decision on Perry Ridge.

Against their advice, the Ministry of Forests (MOF) has now approved the Local Resource Use Plan. The plan was put together by a planning table stacked with industry and MOF representatives. The MOF is boasting that the plan will require additional studies. However, these will be operational-level studies which virtually never result in removing roads or cutting areas from a plan.

The location of these additional studies will be determined by using existing, inadequate hazard mapping. A recent spot check of existing hazard maps by June Ryder, PhD, PGeo, found many instances in which the hazard ratings do not correlate with the hazard visible on air photos.

Directors of the Perry Ridge Water Users Association met with Mr. Don Munro, RDCK representative for Area H, about regional government responsibility regarding the safety issue on Perry Ridge.

Marilyn Burgoon, President, Perry Ridge Water Users Association

Goat Mountain Water Users Association

Logging was done last summer encroaching to the edge of our watersheds and new roads built have opened this area up to a host of other human activities as well, from motorized vehicle use such as ATVs and motorcycles, hunting, wood cutting, to prospecting and possible mining activities. It just never ends with logging. Protect the landscape and you will protect the water.

Mike Simpson

Slocan Ridge

Spar and cable yarding, of the same variety as Elliot Anderson Trozzo watershed, is in full swing in the Vincent Creek to Shook Creek area above Slocan City. This can be viewed from Slocan - best is in the afternoon when the sun is on the hillside. The area around O'Shea Creek is next - to be conventionally logged - and the third area is in behind on the plateau and seems to be the catchment place for about 7 tributaries that are all part of Dayton. Logging further down the hill toward Slocan or in between the strips, which is logically anticipated, is not in the current 5 year plan. The earliest a permit can be sought after for this or further logging, including road building from O'Shea across to Ringrose, is a year from now.

Residents please keep informed and learn what you can. Insist on the best for your watershed area.

Daphne Fields

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Winlaw Watershed Committee

A 598 ha. Woodlot above Dumont Creek has been given to Bernie Clover, Tom Bradley, and Breakaway Enterprises, a local partnership. They are making efforts to implement an ecosystem-based approach. They have published their Management Plan, and are working on the more specific Development Plan.

The Ministry of Forests (MoF) is planning some activity for Winlaw under their Small Business Forest Enterprise Program. So far, studies have been done on the stability of the old Silica Mine road, and on possible routes for new roads. MoF has given a contract to June Ryder and Associates to carry out a Terrain Stability Assessment, Level B.

From the time of first hearing that development plans were afoot, the Winlaw Watershed Committee (WWC) has tried to establish open communications with MoF. Under the management of Al Skakun, MoF has been forthcoming in providing us with access to maps and studies, and opportunities for us to have some input into planning.

If there is to be logging in the Winlaw / Dumont Watershed, the water users want to see every possible protection taken to protect the stability of the land, and the purity and volume of the water. Nevertheless, WWC members voted to support the BC Tap Water Alliance Petition (see Chronology) calling for watershed reserves, thereby upholding the principle that not to log may be in the best possible interests of the water. We are simply doing our best, in spite of our differences, to protect our most important resource-clean water, and the forest system that supplies it.

The WWC has requested a student intern from the Silva Foundation for August and September. Kelly Rodenkirchen, an Environmental Science graduate, is researching the feasibility of a water monitoring program on Dumont Creek, and how the community could make it happen.

The WWC meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, currently at the Spicer Centre. Local water users interested in watershed stewardship, please attend.

Wolverton Creek Waterworks

The Wolverton Creek Waterworks (WCW) group is a co-operative comprised of five families. WCW recently entered into a contract with Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. agreed to pay for a portion of the cost of the water quality tests performed by Passmore Laboratory. This agreement was preceded by a request from Kalesnikoff Lumber in 1999 for our input and co-operation regarding their tentative plan to log the Wolverton Creek watershed. Our response was to organize a meeting with Jennifer Yeow of Passmore Laboratory to decide what action we could take to protect and sustain the integrity of our water system. We hired Passmore Laboratory to set up a monitoring program and install the necessary equipment. WCW members actively participate in the collection of water samples and recording water and air temperature, weather conditions and gauge readings. The data is entered on a computerized spreadsheet that is compatible with the program used by the Ministry of Environment. Combined with data from the past we are compiling an accurate history of the quality and quantity of the water in Wolverton Creek, which has proven to be of high quality to date. Continued support from Kalesnikoff Lumber Company will ensure that we continue to enjoy the pure drinking water that we have enjoyed for over 20 years.

Submitted by Diana Adair for Wolverton Creek Waterworks

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Turbidity and Disease Linked

SYNOPSIS OF REPORT:

Drinking Water Quality and Health Care Utilization for Gastrointestinal Illness in Greater Vancouver - October 30, 2000

This study concludes that there is a direct correlation between turbidity in the drinking water and the incidences of gastroenteritis in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. In other words, an increase of silt in the drinking water leads to an increase in stomach and intestinal health problems, especially in children and elderly people. Authored by seven scientists from Health Canada, the University of Guelph and the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board, with support from the provincial Medical Health Officers of the Lower Mainland, the study looked at gastointestinal-related hospital admissions, physician visits, and visits to B.C. Children's Hospital emergency room over a six year period. They then compared that data to the fluctuations of turbidity in the drinking water. The scientists concluded that "variations in GVRD drinking water quality explained approximately 17,500 physician visits, 85 hospital admissions and 138 pediatric hospital emergency room visits" due to gastroenteritis caused by common waterborne bacteria and protozoa. This study states that their results are consistent with scientific findings across North America and support public health and water supply management beliefs that ”turbidity appears to be a valuable water quality indicator“. There is presently a moritorium on logging in the GVRD watershed.

Remember that the provincial Auditor General's report called Protecting Drinking-Water Sources, released in April 1999, concluded that "good protection of water sources is essential to the cost-effective provision of safe water" because the estimated capital cost of installing filtration systems for B.C. municipalities, outside Victoria and Vancouver, would be approximately $700 million. (Note that chlorine does not kill Cryptosporidium, which was responsible for the 1996 health crises in Kelowna and Cranbrook plus the 1993 Milwaukee, Wisc. deaths of 100 and illness of a further 400,000. Cryptosporidium and Giardia need to properly filtered out of the drinking water.) The Auditor General's overall conclusion is that Source protection could substantially reduce public expenditures on health care as well as avoiding the impact on our tourism industry of well-publicized gasteroenteritis outbreaks.

The conclusions of these two reports certainly must concern us in the Slocan Valley considering that the Ministry of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Slocan Forest Products have all stated that road building and logging in our Watersheds will inevitably cause an increase in sediment/turbidity in our drinking water. As taxpayers, potential health care costs alone must give us pause, never mind the discomfort and upset of being ill. Who pays the price for industrial activity in our Watersheds?

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In Brief

The Columbia River Basin, including southeastern British Columbia… relies on snowpack for irrigation and urban water use in the summer. Even a slight climate change could mean less snowpack and earlier spring melt, leading to less water in summer. Even if winter precipitation is higher, a larger proportion may fall as rain, resulting in spring floods followed by low summer water levels. Despite this prospect, the region's water resource management system is seen as fragmented and unprepared to deal with water shortages.

The Auditor General has stated that the province is not adequately protecting the water resource.

The B C Medical Association has stated that it is opposed to logging in Vancouver's watershed.

The forest industry receives from us, in the form of tax breaks, subsidies etc. billions of dollars - it has been reported that they get as much as $140 000 for every job they provide.

The Provincial government's policy is to overcut the forests now and leave the "fall-down effect" to be suffered by our children - they plan to accomplish this by liquidating all the old-growth that exists outside of the protected areas.

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Craig Pettitt

FOREST MONITORING

For on-the-ground forestry help, many communities in the valley have benefitted tremendously from the advice and constructive comments of Craig petit. Craig first got involved in Forestry in the mid 60's and worked at a myriad of jobs with the forest industry and the Ministry of Forests. In l974, he baecame a charter member of the Valhalla Wilderness Society, and worked as an analyst critiquing the logging practices of the day in the fight towards preserving Valhalla Park. His courage as a “whistle blower” when logging goes awry has helped contribute to the raising of logging standards in the valley and beyond.

Throughout the years, the VWS has made it possible for Craig to share his expertise in analyzing forest development plans and monitoring logging activities with local residents. AS logging has moved closer to our backyards, he has been involved in conducting workshops to teach residents what to look for and, in this way, to help them to protect their interests (property values, domestic and irrigation water rights etc.).

Since l996, Craig has been co-sponsored by both VWS and B.C. Forest Watch. During this period, he has investigated many landslides (including the one West of Castlegar 2 years ago) which were the result of poor forest practices, and not up-to-code standards. These investigations have resulted in several substantial fines being levied against various logging companies for noncompliance.

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Jack Ross

LIVING EXAMPLE

This is the tribute that I sent to Jack Ross for his 80th birthday gathering on the7th of July from myself and Sinixt Nation:

In this world in this day and age it is difficult to find an elder who is wise, inspiring, responsible and actively demonstrating life and spiritual commitment on a daily basis to those around them. To see that commitment spill beyond family to the love of community, landscape and future is an even rarer jewel to behold. It is such a cool breeze to stand in the wake of those demonstrations by a truly inspiring person and to set your own sites and goals based upon something you know is attainable as an individual because you have a living example to follow. You are one of those cool breezes Jack Ross and I am ever thankful to you for providing me with a living example of the love and commitment that we should all share for this landscape, the water, our community and the future generations.

When the Sinixt peoples look into the face of our present situation of 'extinction' and focus our hopeful vision on a future of 'existence' we see ourselves standing there next to those who love this land and all the things of this land as much as we do. We stand proudly next to those who stand on this land with love. We do not make those choices those are individual responsibilities and commitments...and some of us do not have individual choices because our choices give way to the love that we feel towards our responsibilities and to act is our only choice. I think you are one of those without a choice Jack Ross, I think your love for this land and all life overwhelms you and you are compelled to act.

Jack, when I look into this hopeful vision of the future of existence for myself, my children and my people I see you standing there next to a cold pure stream dipping your cup into the water and offering it to all who wish a drink. Thank-you Jack for being a living demonstration, your inspiration, your commitment and most of all your love for this land and community.

Marilyn James, Appointed Spokesperson, Sinixt Nation

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