OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD AGENDA December 3, 1970, 2:00
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OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD AGENDA December 3, 1970, 2:00 p.m. 1. Minutes from meeting of November 5, 1970. 2. Accounts. 3. Report of Technical Committee ~-cattle feedlots f) -Pollution Control Permits w[;-- I- lP,e/ '.I&- -7 ~,-study plan of Okanagan Basin Studies frFw! /.. ETTER - Sf/Cit- - e'::'vrar. < 'v? r _ fe)",,-;-, :c. - Nr 4. Review back correspondence from meeting of November 5, 1970. 5. Correspondence: ! (a)b Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Shuswap Thompson River Research and Development Association. -Request for public meeting in the Kamloops area. ") (b) J. Colebrook-Re: Delay water licencing in the Okanagan Basin Watershed b' ,N, O/r ,A./IrT Ci..t;{} - R."'" " •• .L'::~ •- (c) A.M. Thompson-Proposed seminar on Canada-British Columbia Okanagan Basin Agreement (d) Canada-British Columbia Consultative Board-Re: Brandt's Creek (e)r B.E. Marr-letter to E.F. Lawrence concerning lignite coal for sewage treatment ~ (f) H.K. Pratt, B.C. Hydro and Power Authority-Re: Shuswap Falls Plant (g) W. Pentland-Re: garbage dumps on Similkameen River (h) City of Kelowna-Re: Weed problem on Mill Creek (i)i R.J. Miller, Agricultural Engineering Branch-Re: definitions of non-traditional farming practices (j) ~S.J. Hives, Pollution Control Branch-Exemption of certain operations 6. Applications for Pollution Control Permits: -King Graybarr Mines Ltd. -Corporation of the Village of Osoyoos 7. Other Business If' <: MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD HELD ~, !21Q at 2:00 p.m. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, CITY OF VERNON. Present: \'J. C. Bennett Chairman W.J.C. Kane R.D.C.O. P. Duke R.D.N.O. J. Patterson R.D.N.O. S. Stodola R.D.O.S. Also in Attendance: The Hon. Mrs. P. Jordon M.l.A. North Okanagan Mayor Halina City of Vernon B.J. Sworder Chairman, R.D.N.O. D.S. MacKay City Engineer, City of Vernon J.M. Hamilton Engineer, City of Penticton Dr. H. Smart Director, North Okanagan Health Unit E. F. Lawrence Director of Operations, City of Kelowna B. Harvey Chairman, Association of B.C. Irrigation Districts Mr. Watts Director, Regional District of Thompson-Nicola Mr. J. Maclean Village of Va11eyview Mr. K.E. MacKee Secretary-Treasurer, Regional District of Columbia-Shuswap Press and radio: Penticton Herald, Vernon News, CJIB Radio The Chairman introduced Mr. Watt,~ Director of the Regional Disbrict of Thompson-Nicola; Mr. K.B. MacKee, Secretary-Treasurer, Regional District of Columbia-Shuswap; and Mr. John Maclean, from the Village of Valleyview. The above were attending the meeting as observers. Minutes: Patterson - Kane: That the minutes of the meeting of November 5, 1970 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED Accounts: The following accounts were presented for payment. Regional District of Central Okanagan (Nov. 1-30) $216.02 Finley Printing ltd. 32.93 Chalet Restaurant, Penticton 38.56 Secretary-Manager, expenses (Nov. 4-Dec. 3) 59.15 TOTAL $346.66 Duke - Kane: That the above accounts be paid. CARRIED REPORT OF THE TECENICAl CO~WITTEE: The Secretary-Manager reviewed notes from the October 28th, 1970 meeting of the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee had been informed of several projects which had been initiated under the Okanagan MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD EELD DECEMBER 3. 1970. 2 Basin Study since the last meeting of the Technical Committee. Cattle The Technical Committee had reviewed water quality Feedlots: problems that could be expected from cattle feedlots as requested by the Water Board on September 3. An inventory of existing feedlots indicating the n~r of cattle and locations was prepared for the Technical Committee by Dr. Clapp of the Department of Agriculture. Such an inven tory had been requested by Mr. B.E. Marr, co-chairman of the Canada-British Columbia Consultative Board. The Technical Committee recommended that Pollution Control Permits be required for existing and future feed lots. The present status of the Pollution Control Branch concerning cattle feedlots should be made clear. The Secretary-Manager informed that since the Technical Committee meeting he had received a letter from the Pollution Control Branch stating that positive discharges of wastes from cattle feedlot operations to streams is not considered to be in accordance with the traditional farming practice oatutilization of wastes by application onto crop lands. Consequently such operations which involve positive discharges of wastes to streams from non-traditional farming operations as defined by the Dept. of Agriculture will require a permit under the Pollution ,Control Act. The Secretary-Manager asked the Board if they wished a copy of the inventory of cattle feedlots in the Okanagan to be sent to the Director of the Pollution Control Branch. The Board agreed it was not necessary to forward an inventory to the Director, but simply to write a letter acknowledging Pollution Control Branch authority conc'~rnj r.~ cattle feedlots. Kanp. - Duke: That a letter be forwarded to the Director of Pollution Control acknowledging the Pollution Control Branch~s authority concerning cattle feedlots and informing the Director of the Water BoardYs recent review of this problem. CARRIED Pollution The Technical Committee had 'reviewed the procedurfs Control followed in granting Pollution Control permits and had Permits: discussed the possible involvement of the Water Board in analyzing and studying the permits before they are granted. The Technical Committee felt there might be some overlap between the Technical Committee~ of the Regional Districts and the Pollution Control BrancR in reviewing these permits. The Secretary-Manager asked the Board whether they wished the Regional Districts to examine their own applications for pollution control permits thoroughly or whether all permits should be passed onto the Technical Committee of the ~.rater Board for examination. The Chairman suggested that the Pollution Control Permit applications be dealt with by the Regional Districts. Mr. ~Iamilton said that there was not enough information available on the Applications for Pollution Control Permits for the Technical Committee review. The ~1INUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD HELD DECEMBER 3. 1970. 3 permits should come to the Committee only for comment. The Secretary-Manager reviewed the recommendations of the Technical Committee on the following applications for Pollution Control Permits which had been referred to ,,1 the Con~ittee: 1. Robo Syndicates Ltd., for disposal of carwash effluent onto ground. 2. Westmills Carpets for the disposal of carpet mill effluent into exfiltration basins. 3. Okanagan Builders Land Developments Ltd., for disposal of domestic sewage to a ground disposal system. 4. Henry Leonard Nikkel, for the discharge of laundramat effluent into ground. 5. Village of Osoyoos, for the discharge of sewage effluent in stablization lagoons and exfiltration basins. Recommenda- In summary the Technical Committee recommended tions for that investigations be carried out either by the applicant Pollution or by the Pollution Control Branch to determine the quality Control of the water passing from local seepage ponds and drainage Application~ields into the ground water table. The well monitoring system should be established near points of discharge into the ground. Adjacent creeks should also be monitored. The Secretary-Manager informed that some well monitoring, in existing wells, had been done by the Joint Federal-Provincial Okanagan Basin Study, but information on the analysis was incomplete. The well monitoring programme has been discontinued recently. The Board should ask that it be continued. The Secretary-Manager asked the Board if they wished him to forward recommendations of the Technical Committee to the Director of Pollution Control. Mr. Stodola felt that this should be done. The Chairman felt that it would not be necessary for the 'vater Board to forward any comments relative to applications for Pollution Control Permits if the Regional Districts were to do the same. Mr. Lawrence said that at a previous meeting the Water Board had already gone through the trouble and process of referring Applications for Pollution Control Permits to the Technical Committee. The Water Board is in a position to express their opinion on these permits to the Pollution Branch. There should be a written input, when required, from the \vater Board to the Pollution Control Branch. Mr. Hamilton felt that the onus for well testing programmes should be on the applicant. Mr. Kane felt that monitoring wells should be placed near the points of discharge into the ground water table rather than rely on scattered wells throughout the area which have been monitored for the Okanagan Basin Study. Kane - Stodola: MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE OKANAGAN BASIN WATER BOARD HELD DECEMBER 3. 1970. -4- That the Board request the Pollution Control Branch to consider that wells and streams be monitored as a condition of Pollution Control Permits. CARRIED Hr. Kane remarked that there are no well monitoring programmes for existing permits. Mayor Duke agreed that any recommendations from the Board should be brought to the appropriate authorities. The Secretary-Manager said he wished to be clear on what the Board wished done with the applications for Pollution Control Permits that were reviewed. Duke - Stodola: That the recommendations of the Technical Committee of the Water Board be sent to the Pollution Control Branch. CARRIED Observation The Secretary-Manager showed the Board a book Wells: on ground water levels in observation wells in British Columbia. The information was received from the Dept. of Lands, Forests & Water Resources. The book contains information on water levels for various wells throughout the Okanagan Valley. The Secretary-Manager thought that some of the communities in the Valley may wish copies of the book. Several members indicated that they wished to have copies. Study Plan The Secretary-Manager presented a copy of the Okanagan overall study plan for the entire Okanagan Basin Study.