Cherryville residents are outraged about polluted water in Shuswap River, and point to an adjacent intensive cattle operation as the source.
That operation is essentially a small feedlot located on a plateau above the river between Cherry Creek and Ferry Creek.
Concerns about water quality began when a resort was being expanded on Sugar Lake. A citizens group was formed, the Cherryville Water Stewards, to advocate for protection. With funding from the regional district it has been testing the water in the river four times a year since 2008.
In part due to the group's efforts, the resort was mandated to install a proper septic system and test it regularly. Thus, the river has been relatively clean until a few years ago.
Tim Staker lives along the river and has been doing the water testing. Four years ago, he began noticing increased E. coli and coliform numbers in the river downstream from the village, far above the safe level of zero for drinking water and 200 for swimming.
Three years ago, during the spring run-off, residents noticed a 20-foot-wide waterfall of brown water pouring off the hillside below the feedlot, where it eventually made it into the river. After complaints were directed to B.C.'s health and environment ministries, a pipe was installed that basically only served to hide the polluted water. This spring, when Tim tested the water flowing through a culvert into the river, the results showed a count of 2,420 of E. coli and 2,450 coliform, which is the highest possible number – meaning it could have been even higher. Fortunately, he had his rubber gloves on!
The cattle operation that feeds upwards of 600 cows is one of many owned by a local who recently purchased five more ranches in the valley. Government inspectors have visited the 160-acre feedlot multiple times over the last five years, but due to the right-to-farm legislation, nothing much can be done to reduce the numbers of cattle or prevent the problem from continuing. The owner had also set up a large capacity irrigation system without a water licence or riparian permit, but it has not been used due to the concerns of staff.
On May 23, a local environmental group, BeeSAFE, sponsored a public meeting at the Cherryville Hall that was attended by more than 150 residents. SAFE stands for “safe agriculture and food economy.” At the event, BeeSAFE founders Huguette Allen and Carla Vierke gave a presentation that included the results of the water testing that showed how the levels of pollutants have been increasing since the feedlot was established. Years ago, residents often drank the water in the river and now they are concerned about even swimming in the river. Some are worried about the water in their wells.
A petition calling for government agencies to “immediately protect water at source in the Middle Shuswap River by removing all intensive livestock operations where manure in produced in excess of the natural absorption of the land” was signed by most in attendance and is also available online.
Currently, the community is waiting for the latest Ministry of Environment report about the issue that is expected to be released soon as a result of a recent investigation. Hopefully, the government will take action and force the rancher to remove the feedlot, as this would be the only acceptable solution. However, it is rare for the government to use its limited powers to stop pollution at its source, especially when the problem is caused by agricultural practices. Throughout the world, there are rivers, lakes and even parts of oceans that are so polluted from industrial agriculture that the water is unsafe for both humans and wildlife. We must not let that happen here in the Shuswap.
