20 year old interview, Brian Harvey of the Vernon Irrigation District

The North Okanagan's 2010 water woes--and the water authority's focus on water restrictions versus increasing water storage for a growing populace led me to dig up an old interview with the former manager of Vernon Irrigation District, conducted in the Fall of 1990.

The interview is reprinted here, with permission, in its entirety (minus the poor quality--and too small--drawing of the watershed from which VID draws water).

Interview with Brian Harvey, 1990: 
Entering the offices through the tiled and vine-shaded atrium of the Vernon Irrigation District office on 29th Avenue one immediately senses the history of this place.  It's a place where turn-of-the-century dreams of a fertile and lush valley were recorded on now-yellowed onionskin paper, and bound into aromatic leather books.  These documents registered the priority use of a life-giving resource:  Water.

Water quality has become a contentious issue to an environmentally-alert society -- an issue that has impacted directly on the forest industry's logging methods, especially clearcuts.  "To better understand the water resource," states manager Brian Harvey, "we must look at the history of water in this valley."

"Irrigation in this part of the world started with European land companies in the very early 1900s," Brian explained, "when they brought with them their great schemes for land development and irrigation systems and selling the land to immigrants and veterans."

A consummate storyteller, Brian continued: "Around 1915, they started to go broke...going broke for basically the same reasons people go broke today--a little too ambitious, they didn't realize it would take five to 10 years to secure an income from the trees that were flourishing with the water that was so very costly to install, let alone maintain."

He continued:  By 1920, as these privately-owned valley water districts teetered on bankruptcy, cooperatives such as the Vernon Irrigation District (as well as Southeast Kelowna, Black Mountain and Glenmore) were formed and became municipality-type authorities with one function -- water supply.  The water source -- Aberdeen Lake -- as well as the open ditch and flume method of delivery continued under the cooperatives.

"It was essentially the same as it was before 1920:  we provided irrigation--not domestic--water," stated Brian, "but by 1964 it became obvious the open ditch and flume system was too costly for us to maintain."  Frost took its toll of structures each year and seepage was a serious problem in flumes and ditches alike.  Brian adds:  "Just to turn it on in spring and off in the fall required the efforts of 100 people!  We needed money for a more efficient method -- a pipeline -- but we couldn't afford it.  A referendum was held to gauge public support for improvements.  We were able to prove cost benefits to government agencies, so the federal and provincial governments each paid a third of the pipeline cost, and VID the balance.

"Another problem was that a lot of people took water out of these ditches for their houses -- they weren't supposed to -- by filling cisterns, and by using wells that had been filled as a result of seepage from ditches.  So when we went to the new pipeline system (begun in 1964 and completed in 1971), 300 homes immediately went dry as cisterns and wells could no longer be relied upon, quite literally forcing VID into the domestic water business.  But one thing happened:  we realized we could earn an income from supplying these and other homes with domestic water and we found that the revenue generated would balance out the cost of providing irrigation water."

How important was water quality at that time?  "It was never considered to be the best water in the world," admitted Brian, "but it was better to put water on a piece of property than to not have any water at all."

"Water quality first became an issue with growth," stated Brian, "and continues to be the major concern.  At the present time, VID water supply comprises about 90% irrigation and 10% domestic, with annual variations dependent on weather conditions.

He added, "If growth continues at the same pace it has in the last 30 to 40 years--and why shouldn't it--there won't be much farmland left."

Brian explained how the land freeze (ALR) won't stop the decline of farms:  "They're facing difficult times, and in the years to come when family farms are no longer able to continue, it will become very difficult for someone to buy it at current value and make a living farming."

He added that the demise of farming was predictable:  "Few people realize that most of this country was subdivided around 1915."  Brian cited the example that a 30-acre farm would have been subdivided into three 10-acre lots.  "As a result, not even the land freeze can prevent the owner selling one or two of the lots and once a house is built on it, that farm is finished."

The question of growth is academic:  "If we serve an orchard water for 70 years, when the owner changes from growing trees to growing houses, we cannot say 'no, you can't have the water any more'."  VID presently supplies water inside the City of Vernon as well as Coldstream as a result of expansions into farm areas, in addition to providing fire protection for a lot of the city and municipalities and rural areas.  Consumer's Glass and the Waterslide receive their water from the Vernon Irrigation District.  "It's our water almost to the O'Keefe Ranch," he explains.

"Just look at how the North BX area has grown," stated Brian, "it's no longer a farming community."  None of that growth would have taken place without water.  The big debate now is where growth is going to take place.  "If it's on current farm land, as all trends indicate it will be, the demand for the resource will increase more slowly than if the growth takes place on dry land,"  explained Brian.  On that basis, VID has projected their 20-year growth to be between two and three percent.  The only real difference will be the pattern of supply.

"On water quality," he said, "upgrading will take place very soon because public opinion is very strong, but the public will wince when they discover what their demands for 'better everything' will cost."

"The process quite frankly cannot be stopped now," admits Brian, explaining.  "It's not only a Canadian situation.  The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. has declared all surface water in the country will be treated, and water sources not meeting certain standards will not be permitted for domestic use."

Brian continued:  "We would not meet those standards if they were effective today.  We have a pipeline that follows the lay of the land, so at times of low flow, silt accumulates in the lowest parts of the pipe, and with silt there is the chance for bacterial growth."  He added,  "a state-of-the-art water system is population-based, and we simply don't have the population to pay for it.  But it's coming anyway, and the public demanding it will without a doubt oppose paying $100.00 per connection each month."

What's involved in a 'state-of-the-art' water supply?
"Simply stated, it involves creating a gel in a basin; the gel attracts dirt and contaminants via an electrostatic chemical reaction, then passes the water through a type of sand filter, with chlorination completing the process."

Water in this valley is presently chlorinated, but chlorination does not kill the parasite that produces what is commonly known as Beaver Fever.  "To kill it," he states, "you would have to add so much chlorine that you couldn't possibly drink it."  Other water treatments are being researched in North America:  one is an ozone process -- a very expensive treatment involving a strong oxidizing agent.

Are water meters coming?
"They are necessary," explains Brian, "there is a tendency in all we do to go from 'supply management'--where you give everybody everything they want, to 'demand management'--where you measure what they use and make them pay for it."

(Publication name) asked Brian Harvey if he felt water quality would improve if logging--and in particular--clearcuts, were stopped.  "That's where both the forest industry and VID have failed," charged Brian.  "Neither of us have done enough about educating the public about their responsibility...it has never occurred to the public that they're part of the problem!"

"VID recognizes water quality is the number one concern, and I think forestry recognizes it, but boaters and campers who enter a watershed have to recognize and protect it, too!"  He added, "The public takes things for granted...we all tend to, but there are only two essential things in this world.  One is air and the other is water, and society seems hell bent to foul them both up!"  Brian declared "Without air you die, without water you die.  Everything else is non-essential because alternatives exist.  If your electricity goes out, you can go and chop some wood.  If there's no fuel for your car, you can walk."

"We've worked with forestry, and I'm convinced forestry is not the only user to impact on water quality.  The forest industry must, however, continue to maintain good practices to lessen ground disturbance.  Riverside (former forestry company name) builds properly designed roads and installs properly designed waterbars and culverts.  Personally I'd like to see fewer roads but Riverside is doing them the way you're supposed to."

So what's an ideal situation?  "The ideal, of course, is a watershed that hasn't been touched...by forestry...or by the public.  But that doesn't guarantee water or soil will be perfect because natural conditions still play a part."

"Maybe forestry isn't the only problem at all," he said, adding "Cattle are, hunters are, campers are a problem...they all impact on an area and it's the cumulative effects that contribute to some degree on water quality deterioration."

What is the cure?  "Integrated resource management,"  stated Brian.  What is IRM?  In this process, users are identified and a priority of use set.  As an example:  water, timber harvesting, cattle, mining, wildlife, sportsfishing, recreation -- if water is determined to have priority use, all other users must make water the chief concern in the area involved, and that is taken into account to resolve any conflicts.  The alternative--multiple use--differs in that the various users are acknowledged but no-one is deemed to have priority use.

Brian continued:  "The priority in our area is water quality.  One need only see the volume of litter after the May and September long weekends to understand how it affects water quality."

"Forestry practices continue to improve, and VID is following sound practices that we know work," stated Brian.  "So why are bacterial counts increasing?  Has public use doubled?  Or is it the combination of cattle and the public?  Or is it the same amount of people behaving less responsibly?  If we as a water district are going to be the agency for 'fixing water quality' we have to get some money out of the users of the area.  We don't get a nickel out of the fishermen or the hunters, or the forestry companies for that matter.  And we can understand why a hunter who goes into the area once a year would never think he is contributing to a problem, but he most certainly is," challenged Brian.

"Do we have to take the cattle out of the bush to see if it makes a difference?...do we have to get motor boats completely out of the lakes?" he queried.  "I hope (the company) and VID (as well as other forestry companies operating in the area) can coordinate efforts with hunters, fishermen and campers," said Brian.

"We need cooperation from all-terrain vehicle users for instance," he said.
Manufacturers of all-terrain vehicles could place literature as point-of-sale material suggesting people take care to not harm the environment."

Brian suggested a similar notice could be attached to a hunting license.  "We are getting some cooperation now from the Fish and Game Club and we need that cooperation but some groups are cooperating less than others,"  he said.

"We're monitoring situations to see what type of bacteria are increasing.  But even additional monitoring costs money."

Will government funding be made available?
"Government does a lot for municipalities in the form of revenue-sharing grants, to which we as a water district are not subject, but if we want to become eligible for grants, we have to become a municipality or a regional district."

There is currently a proposal for VID to become a Regional Water District, and a strategy exists to treat VID water at the 2100-foot level and to eventually use it for most of the area.  That would be supplemented as the need arose with water from Kal Lake.

"We're forming a joint water authority but we have to make sure that farm interests are protected.  There's no question that domestic use subsidizes the farmer but I think the public wants to see orchards in the country...we all like that country way of life," added Brian.

He explained that the public might complain about silt in the water, but they might live with it rather than pay $1,200 annually.  Westbank held a referendum and it indicated that people in the community were prepared to pay an additional five dollars a month for water!  Water districts everywhere are doing quality studies and determining the cost of improvements.

"We have similar problems between districts," he said, adding "Woods Lake, Winfield, Black Mountain, southeast Kelowna and VID all take water out of the Okanagan system.  Our water is all the same, although some areas have a little more silt, some have a little more colour, but it's all about the same...and all of it is a problem when you look at new water quality guidelines!"

"Penticton, for instance, used to have colour problems, but I believe they're putting in a treatment plant in addition to taking water out of the lake," he said.  "It has a lot to do with the type of watershed:  the east side of Okanagan lake water problem--it has peat and grass and trees in it--and it's an entirely natural condition.  Naramata had problems so they obtained a grant to fence their creek--to keep people and animals out of it.  A fence would help us too, but we have nine miles of creek!"

Would another water source provide us with the quality necessary for the new guidelines?  "We have a license in the Gold/Paradise area which is part of Harris Creek.  It's the next watershed east.  We're looking at it but we have enough water to meet current needs.  If we had a two-year drought though we would be in deep trouble.  That hasn't happened since 1928/29/30 but it will happen again so we're going to get Gold/Paradise," he stated.

When the new water source is tapped, will existing reservoirs in Haddo and Grizzly be increased?  No, because of the size of the clearcuts.  "Let me explain," offered Brian, "Logging 30 percent of a watershed improves supply for the water district--because precipitation then lands on the ground rather than in tree canopies where it evaporates--but once the lakes are full, they're full.  I would personally like to see logging not exceed the 30 percent rule.  There are proponents and opponents to the theory."

"Once the reservoirs are full, creeks then overflow their banks and begin to cast off organic material, sending debris into the water system.  That happened this year--we had a very wet spring--so we got a lot of debris from the creeks that overflowed their banks when the lakes were full," he explained.

Irrigation water doesn't need to be clean -- it's not the same quality as domestic, but since domestic is going to increase what will VID's approach to water quality be?  "We'll simply have to go to the government and say 'help'.  I conclude that the interests of the community will be served best by having a regional water authority as long as protection is provided for the farm user."

"If you're installing a $30 million plant and $29 million comes from the government, your cost is small but if there's no grant and the entire cost is to be borne by the users, it's a lot!  If governments are going to insist on better quality water--because the public is pushing them to increase standards throughout the country--government will respond."

"Water standards will rise...we'll have to meet them...and the public will have to pay more, whether it's through additional taxes because the government has provided a grant to municipal water districts or by straight user fees:  user of the water pays for the improvements.  It applies to virtually every water supply in the province."

"You're talking about a hell of a lot of money, and we don't have it!"

On the water resource relationship with forestry in the future, Brian Harvey adds "I think working together will become even better because we have a history of getting on together...to working out any conflicts that may arise.  People have to be reasonable.  Riverside and VID have a good relationship, and I don't see why--if a regional water authority becomes reality--that we cannot continue that good relationship," he asserted.

Brian summarized:  "I personally recognize that forestry is the number one industry.  It enables us to live the way we do in this province.  I would prefer that forestry continue to do what they are doing.  Between us, we recognize that water is the number one priority and that we work together to maintain it and improve it.  But one thing's certain:  the education issue can't be ignored.  Public education is an expensive business but we have decided we will speak to anyone who wants us to.  Society has to recognize that water is a primary resource and that with the cooperation of all users it could be safeguarded and improved."
 
Prophecy?  Fallacy?  20 years later--in 2010--you decide:

•   for many people, water has indeed increased to $1,200 a year.
•   the area has grown drastically; doubt that irrigation is still at 90% of use...maybe it's reversed!
•   farms continue to fail, with farmers asking for government bail-outs
•   a community such as Coldstream--with ~60% of its land in the ALR--and the accompanying perennial property tax subsidies can easily go broke when combined with this Council's inability to cut costs.  They've been on a hiring binge since last year, with no sign of abating.
•   nine miles of creek still not fenced, contributing to contamination by cattle and wildlife
•   off-road vehicles continue to damage creeks and sidehills despite signs to protect the land
•   campers, boats, hunters and fishermen do not practice "no trace" visits to watershed areas
•   grant to build new Duteau Creek facility comes from residents' taxes, whether we pay the water      authority or the government, grants are provided with our money.
•  water standards have risen (chiefly a result of the Walkerton Ontario incident where people died)

So...are we accessing the watershed that Brian Harvey called Gold/Paradis?

In 20 years since Brian Harvey granted the interview, I've never heard of Gold/Paradis again.

"Maybe they will once we complain of watering our plants with what's left in our toothbrush glass," offers Kia.

You were prophetic, Mr. Harvey.  But you should have left them some instructions when you retired!

Gold/Paradis  Gold/Paradis  Gold/Paradis  Gold/Paradis  Gold/Paradis   Gold/Paradis   Gold/Paradis