Regional districts have yet to agree on funding for watershed protection…

Funding for SLIPP on a slippery slope
Eagle Valley News
by Lachlan Labere
Published: July 13, 2010

Politicians may agree the Shuswap Watershed needs protection, but who’s going to manage it and who’s going to pay remain big issues. Ian McGregor, Ministry of Environment (MOE) regional manager, met with Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors from the Shuswap as well as chief administrative officers from the Thompson Nicola and North Okanagan regional districts.

The intent of the meeting was to bring directors up to speed on governance and cost issues prior to a Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP) meeting on June 16. Declaring McGregor’s presentation to be a good overview, CSRD CAO Charles Hamilton says it became clear during the meeting that the way in which costs will be apportioned is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome.

Planning to meet with administrators of the other regional districts involved, Hamilton says it is clear CSRD would incur the lions’ share, with NORD contributing 20 per cent and TNRD 16 per cent. How costs are spread fairly within the regional districts is another issue.

‘The sentiment around the table was generally supportive, at least conceptually,’ he says. ‘But, who pays for it, or how costs are broken down, that’s where the rubber hits the road. Each area only wants to pay in proportion to the benefit they receive.’ Politicians also have differing views about who’s responsible for damaging the lake the most.

‘Personally I feel the issue, in part is nutrient loading and the sources of which are widespread and varied and virtually every one of us no matter what you do in life contribute to that loading,’ says Area C South Shuswap director Ted Bacigalupo. ‘The finger pointing has to stop because no one or no single entity can be held fully responsible for the state of the watershed.’

With a great number of aging septic beds on or near the waterfront, South Shuswap has heard harsh criticism for being without building regulations ‘ criticism most often vocalized by Salmon Arm Mayor Marty Bootsma. ‘CSRD is the only one without building regulations, they’re in the Stone Age when it comes to building regs,’ he said, noting regional districts on all sides do have regulations.

Bacigalupo maintains a sewage treatment system for which CSRD is awaiting infrastructure grant approval includes a very detailed approach to the management and control of septic systems which can be accomplished without the need for building inspection.

‘The reality is the discharge from the Salmon River and from three municipalities, although tertiary treated, coupled with normal land runoff, outdated septic systems and marine activity are all part of the problem. There is no one single cause.’

Robert Niewenhuisen City of Salmon Arm engineer says that upgrades are made to the sewage treatment system every year. ‘The level our treatment plant provides is that water is almost to the point of being drinkable,’ he says. noting that 4.6 million litres a day of tertiary treated effluent go into the bay. Without exact numbers, Niewenhusien figures there are about 700 septic systems within city boundaries.

Meanwhile, although he agrees with Bacigalupo that the watershed’s problems have multiple sources, Phil Hallinan of the Fraser Basin Council, says building inspection is part and parcel of municipal government. ‘A liquid waste plan will simply say the system has to be plumbed correctly,’ he says. ‘Proper building rules and regulations would also deal with pavement of areas.’

Sicamous Mayor Malcolm MacLeod says all of his town is connected to the sewage treatment system, which has just received another large grant. Like Bacigalupo he has felt the sting of criticism.

‘One of my concerns is we haven’t really identified one of the biggest causes possibly of our lake going sideways,’ he says, pointing to Blind Bay septic beds and noting the intense finger-pointing at the discharge of greywater from houseboats. ‘We haven’t really determined that that’s the worst factor.’ MacLeod is both willing to find answers and pay his community’s share for protecting the watershed.

‘We either put up or shut up. It will cost us to do this,’ he says. ‘To think the province is going to do it for us is not fair. The person that lives up north or on the island, why should they pay for it?’