Besso Airs Laundry in Letter to CBC

...ostensibly to "save" the South Kelowna Irrigation District from repeating her mistake (as one of the sitting councillors when these matters were voted on and advanced to referendum).  

So Coldstream Councillor Maria Besso wrote a letter to CBC's Daybreak South program. 

No indication if she was ever interviewed on the daily live program, so the councillor's letter is being reprinted in its entirety: 

"October 30, 2012

The dilemma of water in the Okanagan

It is nice to hear that the recent referendum to borrow 15.3 million dollars to upgrade the South Kelowna Irrigation District's water treatment facility has failed.

The reason that I am glad it has failed, is because finally, there may be some public attention and discussion of the unique problems, and questionable assumptions, that have been made in the name of drinking water protection in the Okanagan.

What nobody mentioned directly in yesterday's interviews is that pure money and the ability to borrow (emphasis blog author) and/or get government grants (from whatever level of government) is not always the answer.

The problem for the South Kelowna Irrigation District is the same as it was in 2004 for the North Okanagan.

In the North Okanagan we combined three water utilities in 2003, formerly it was known as the Vernon Irrigation District (combination of North Okanagan Water Utility, Vernon Water, and Coldstream Water). The new Greater Vernon Water Utility was run by the Regional District of the North Okanagan and could now qualify for senior government grants. We did a Master Water Plan and were able to borrow 15.4 million dollars (went to referendum) plus we got 3.3 million in grants from the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, and 10.5 million from a federal gas tax grant. In 2008 we started building the 29.2 million dollar Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant. The Plant took 18 months to build and was opened September 20th , of 2010. Our first full year of Operation was 2011 and we treated 13,375 Megalitres of water at an operating cost of 1.7 million dollars.

You would think all our troubles would be over, but instead we have a 29.2 million dollar, sate(sic) of the art plant treating very large volumes of water, to mostly spray on our agricultural and landscape fields. We have taken over all the irrigation distribution infrastructure (ie Pipes) to deliver this highly treated water, and really only 14% max is domestic and commercial drinking water (indoor use, OBWB supply and demand study). The rest has outdoor irrigation uses and does not need this high level of treatment.

"...either have to be given senior government grants for separating irrigation water from drinking water entirely or IHA has to relax or change the rules so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the North Okanagan."

District of Coldstream Councillor Maria Besso

You might ask yourself why would you use treated water for irrigation?

Well, it is for the same reason that the South Kelowna Irrigation District might have found itself in trouble if it had just been given the okay from electors to borrow the money for the "drinking" water upgrades. It is because you only have one set of pipes in the ground there is no magic second set of pipes to deliver untreated water to agriculture. You cannot get money (grants) for twinning agricultural pipes, you can only get it for water treatment facilities. So you have to build a huge water treatment plant to handle the peak summer irrigation demands, you treat all the water to this high standard (at great cost) and then you dump most of it on your fields.

"...cost anywhere from 60 million to 145 million dollars, depending on the amount of separation they choose to do, and needs to be funded by water rates."  

But who's the bad guy? Is it IHA? No not really they are just trying to protect human health.

The 'Drinking water Protection act was enacted April 11, 2001 after the Walkerton tragedy to protect the public from water born diseases. So the standards are meant for drinking water, and they are very good, but if 86% of the water you use is NOT for drinking AND both your irrigation water and your drinking water are using the same pipes and infrastructure, then you are unnecessarily treating a huge amount of water and that is a waste of taxpayers money. In our zeal to enforce drinking water

protection we are not taking into account that in the Okanagan we live in the driest water basin per capita in Canada. We are also not accounting for the fact that Agriculture relies on irrigation in the Okanagan. No irrigation, no crops, no crops, no farmland, no farmland no Okanagan identity. 

"...a huge waste of taxpayers money."

Someone needs to say to IHA that these water utilities are not just drinking water utilities - they have a dual purpose, and it is not economically feasible or desirable to treat irrigation water to the Drinking Water Protection standards. The unintended consequences of these well meaning regulations spell a huge waste of taxpayers money.

Water Utilities in the dry Okanagan either have to be given senior government grants for separating irrigation water from drinking water entirely or IHA has to relax or change the rules so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the North Okanagan.

You know that beautiful state of the art 29.2 million dollar water treatment plant we just built in the North Okanagan. Well, in the peak of summer 2011 demand, the plant treated 160 megaliters of water per day, in the winter time the water treatment plant only treated around 6 megalitres per day. That means that in the summer, approx. 96.25% of the water that is treated, is used for irrigation.

So now, after the fact, Greater Vernon Water is trying to play catch-up and separate the pipes, this is estimated to cost anywhere from 60 million to 145 million dollars, depending on the amount of separation they choose to do, and needs to be funded by water rates. Then we will still need a $20 million dollar filtration unit to be added to the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant by 2015.

How much can the taxpayer take?   Sincerely, Maria Besso Coldstream Councillor"

 
There is no indication that Councillor Besso also contacted federal MP, Colin Mayes.

 "Or maybe she's saying "don't blame ME," offers Kia, adding "she might have political aspirations in Victoria...good place for her."

(See also John Hegler's letter:  http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2011/08/hegler-fuming-over-duteau-creek-water.html