Osoyoos Lake fragile, says local group
The Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS) formed in 1990 to promote public awareness of the lake.
As a non-profit, charitable volunteer organization, the group has worked on issues such as conservation, pollution and lake management.
With the increased development, particularly at the lakeshore, there are serious concerns about the effect this is having on the quality of the water in Osoyoos Lake.
Currently, the OLWQS's concerns centre around shoreline development and the resulting increased demands on the water supply, wetlands and oxbow restoration, pollutants and chemicals (phosphates and nitrates) that are entering the lake as a result of urban runoff, milfoil and an increase in the geese population.
The OLWQS tests the lake every week between April and October, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection comes down in the spring and the fall. The OLWQS took over from the Ministry of the Environment in 1994, and OLWQS President Lionel Dallas stated that the phosphate and nitrate levels are currently at the maximum acceptable levels.
Dallas named several key projects the society had been involved in over the past year, and looked ahead to the new year with projects such as working closely with the Osoyoos Oxbow Restoration Society in collecting data for a feasibility study, and moving forward with a 'mercury in fish research project.'
We think it's our duty to make sure our tourists and our residents are safe from mercury, Dallas said.
Other pollutants include broken down septic systems that are still in existence on the east side of the lake and in the northwest sector, which allow some sewage to directly enter the lake.
The sewers are important. One for the northwest sector is just about ready to go as a result of a federal/provincial infrastructure grant.
Most of the major towns and cities north of Osoyoos have put in sewer treatment plants, which Dallas said has made a difference to Osoyoos being the lowest end of B.C.'s Okanagan Basin.
Septic systems are one problem, Dallas said, but 10 outflow pipes that go out to the lake are another concern.
Everything you can think of – things that people put on their lawns, gas from cars, oil, mercury, a whole range of bad things, are coming from the outflow pipes into the lake, Dallas said.
We did a test of one outflow pipe at 6:30 a.m. and the results came back indicating that the water coming out of that would not support human or aquatic life.
In 2001, Dallas said he wrote a letter to the town about dealing with the outflow pipes, but nothing ever happened.
The OLWQS then got a deal going with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Everything was in place: the equipment, the manpower, money the town had agreed to put in, but for the last major cost, we went to the Salmon Foundation, and they turned us down, said Dallas.
The town then agreed in their Planning and Priorities meeting that they would put a portion of money gained from all new developments back into a bank and they would start working on all these things to try and take care of the lake.
The lake is the town. If the lake goes, then we're lost.
In 1972, Dallas said the provincial government declared that Osoyoos Lake was 'fragile.'
And when you consider that we have had more infractions with what has been going on in this incredible lake, with nobody doing anything about it, that is a sad statement.
Employees from the Penticton office of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said this was one of the worst areas they had seen in their work history.rnDallas said there is ongoing court action now involving a resident of Osoyoos who has built a wall and steps right into the lake.
The legal setback is 15 metres. Three ministries are involved in the case against the resident.
This is what we need to have happen. I think it's a great warning to other people who are building walls right at the water's edge.rnDallas said the D.F.O. has said they are going to cut another 25 people from the department in B.C.
The Penticton office was closed one year ago and the one remaining staff member was moved to Salmon Arm. They say it is too far to come down to our lake! Dallas said.
Now, these are the people who are supposed to be protecting us.rnAnother major problem is that B.C. is in a void without the Riparian Act in place.
Geese are another major problem to the water quality of Osoyoos Lake.
Geese are the biggest polluters, other than the septic systems, Dallas said.
Geese transport all the bad things: e-coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Campylobacter, and they are also the cause of 'swimmer's itch.'
As well, each bird drops three pounds of fecal material per day, which means if you have an average flock of 100, that amounts to 54 tonnes per flock per year.
We have some 2,000 around the lake, Dallas noted.
As far as the town's drinking water supply, Dallas feels that Osoyoos is probably one of the best towns for drinking water, as wells are tested on a regular basis.
The B.C. branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association has recently written to the premier recommending strong actions to implement higher prioritization of water in the Okanagan Basin.
Dallas hopes that, locally, more will be done to help preserve the lake.
Our town, as far as I'm concerned, from the building permits aspect, is not strong enough on enforcing what should be done, Dallas said.
That has been part of the problem. I think if we want to control things, this has to be done at the set-up. It's a privilege for developers to come here, and they need to abide by the rules.rnThe Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society holds a monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the United Church. Their next meeting will be June 15. Contact the OLWQS at 495-3134.
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