Fears mount over dumping of sewage sludge
CLINTON — Protesters gathered Saturday in the B.C. Interior village of Clinton in a bid to stop the dumping of sewage sludge in the Big Bar Lake area.
The group of about 30 people, which included members of the Friends of Nicola Valley from Merritt, ramped up their efforts last week following a biosolids spill in Big Bar Creek.
That sewage was destined to be used as fertilizer by a local farmer, but the truck hauling it from the Westside Regional Waste water Treatment Plant in Kelowna hit black ice and overturned near Riley Dam on Big Bar Road near Jesmond, about 10 kilometres from its destination at OK Ranch.
“We’re just gathering to help promote and spread awareness and come with a plan of action to stop it,” said spokeswoman Amanda Bourgeois.
“A lot of people weren’t aware that biosolids were being dumped in the Big Bar region for years. We’re not convinced we’re being given the truth about the safety of it.”
The B.C. government defines biosolids as “stabilized municipal sewage sludge.”
But residents worry more harm than good will come from spreading human waste on agricultural land, noting they’re worried the sludge is leaching into their drinking water and affecting people and animals in the area.
A group of Merritt-area residents formed Friends of the Nicola Valley last year to protest biosolid use in the region, and some formed a months-long blockade against trucks carrying treated sewage sludge from Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan.
Lab tests conducted by the David Suzuki Foundation uncovered high levels of about a dozen toxins, including cadmium and mercury, but biosolid proponents contend that it’s an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Last fall, the provincial government agreed to give five local First Nations oversight of a scientific review of the impacts of biosolids.
Bourgeois said members have previously called for safety reports on the use of biosolids, but have yet to receive any information.
“If they’re so proud (of their safety record), why not let people know they’re dumping it here? Why not have public meetings about it?” Bourgeois said. “We haven’t been given any information.”
The semi-truck was carrying about 20 cubic meters of biosolid material when it overturned.
The regional district said last week the biosolids were non-toxic and not considered to be a hazardous material, maintaining they are “a treated, nutrient rich byproduct of the waste water treatment process used to enrich soils and stimulate plant growth.”
However, they also stated that “a very small percentage of pathogens may still be present in treated biosolids,” and warned the public to keep themselves and pets away from the area until the environment ministry and Interior Health Authority can rule out potential health risks.
“Unfortunately, the wildlife can’t read any of the signs,” Bourgeois said.