Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition: An interesting and *short* video clip

2011 CV Drinking Water Reference Guide- by Sonya Marie Jenssen - Abstract

Feb.2012

Understanding the source to tap routing of one’s drinking water is a complex task. This guide intends to simplify a multi-faceted process without losing the complexity involved in the protection, treatment, maintenance, and monitoring of drinking water supply systems.

The management of a drinking water system touches all government jurisdictions, the municipal, provincial, and federal each with some level of responsibility for water quality and quantity. An extensive legislative framework and subsequent practice is in place to ensure that Canadians receive safe drinking water; even so, concerns continue to arise over the governance and management of water quantity and quality. Specific areas of concerns include climate change impacts, the use of chlorine, water quality on First Nation’s reserves, emergency preparedness, and water conservation measures.

This guide is designed to move readers through the source to tap path that drinking water travels everyday to households. Examples will be taken from Comox Valley water suppliers to highlight the working nature of legislation pertaining to water sources, along with the treatment, maintenance, and monitoring of our drinking water.

Ultimately, this guide hopes to inspire and inform the reader about the complexities involved in providing safe, clean drinking water to your taps at home and work. The next time you drink a glass of water take a moment to reflect upon the matrix of ecological and human ingenuity necessary in ensuring that each and every glass of water does indeed sustain your life.

“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water”.

~Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 1893-1986, Hungarian Biochemist, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine

Sonya Marie Jenssen, M.A.

Water Policy and Research Specialist

Your Water Your Future

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR LISTS The Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition will be hosting a two-day public forum on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 2010. At 9 am on Saturday, May 29, 2010, there will be two bus tours leaving Bowen Park, one to the City of Nanaimo Water facilities and another into a watershed. Each tour will operate twice so all attendees will be able to go on both. It is estimated that the city tour will take two hours and the watershed tour will take three hours. Lunch will be provided following each tour. At 9 am on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at Beban Park the day will begin with some amazing speakers: Maude Barlow, Rafe Mair, Corky Evans, and Arthur Caldicott. The day will also include four workshops by four great teachers: Andrew Gage an environmental lawyer with West Coast Environmental law Legal Options for Source Protection; Ingmar Lee community activist The Industrial Logging of Nanaimo’s Drinking Watershed; Trevor Wicks Looking at the Source: A Well protected Drinking Water Supply; Robin Mathews Privatization: Local, National, and International Theft The intent is to allow everyone to attend all workshops by limiting the sessions to fixed times. A full lunch will be provided on this day as well. Registration will be necessary to allow the organizers to hire buses for the water supply tours, as well as to adequately prepare for the meals. Registration details will be posted on the Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition website at the end of April. You can pre-register now by emailing islandwatershedprotection@gmail.com These events will be free for all attendees. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ http://blog.gonanaimo.com/your-water-your-future

Coal Mine Coming - Open house Wed Oct 28

Compliance Coal Corporation plans to have a new coal mine up and running in the Comox Valley within 18 months. They think the public is in favour of this mine,butComox Valley Water Watch Coalition has a lot of unanswered questions about this mine.
In brief, the mine would be an underground mine starting above Fanny Bay and reaching to Baynes sound , producing about 2 million tons a year of coal with 700,000 tons of waste.
We must know how much water the mine will use, where they will ge the water, what they will be doing with the polluted water from washing the coal, and what the mine's impact on water, wells and aquifers will be.
The mine is having their 1st public open house the Weds. October 28th at the Fanny Bay Hall from 4p.m.- 9p.m.
They will be asking what they need to cover in their environmental assessment. If you put your questionon the record, they will have to answer them.
Coal's responsibility for greenhouse gases and global warming are not part of the environmental asssessment , but that doesn't mean those questions should not be raised.
BC has a carbon tax on heating fuel for your house, but we sell lots of coal to add to global warming.
This has impacts for the whole of Vancouver Island not just Fanny Bay !
Please attend this open house and show the coompany you care !
4-9 p.m. Weds. Oct. 28
Fanny Bay Hall
For more information on this project go to
www.coalwatch.ca

Standing room only in Fanny Bay

Fanny Bay Hall jammed with residents anxious to discuss proposed coal mine operation Marcel Tetrault Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, December 01, 2009 So many people are interested in the coalmine proposed for Fanny Bay that residents had to be turned away from a meeting last week due to fire regulations. The Comox Valley Coal Watch Coalition coalesced at that meeting, as close to 200 people packed the Fanny Bay Community Hall to learn about the project and ask questions about its impact. "We were extraordinarily pleased with the turnout," said Delores Broten, a member of the coal watch coalition's media committee. "That turnout shows the level of concern there is in the community. To turn people away is an organizer's dream." The Compliance Energy coal mine proposed for Fanny Bay, currently in the environmental assessment process, would extract about two million tonnes of coal per year for the next 20 years. The purpose of the coalition, said media committee member Delores Broten, is to figure out which questions should be asked during the environmental assessment process, advocate for clear and timely responses to those questions and to inform the public of the answers. "We don't know enough," said Broten. "You have to ask the questions in exactly the right way, and it is unfortunately up to us to ask them. It is totally terrifying, because we're just citizens. We're not the right people to be doing this, but there isn't anyone else. "You've got to put it on the agenda, that's the issue. And it's up to us to put it on the agenda, because we don't know if anyone else would put it on." Those who attended the Thursday evening meeting raised a host of concerns and questions. They ranged from the impact of coal extraction on surface water and underground aquifers to its impact on property values and the tourism and shellfish industries. They also asked about coal dust being blown from waste piles and stockpiles as well as from the 70 to 100 trucks that would be required to transport the coal to port every day. Compliance had considered using trains for transport to port, but a letter from company CEO John Tapics to the environmental assessment office rules that option out. Coal would instead by transported by truck via the Inland Island Highway to transport ships at either Port Alberni, Middle Point in Campbell River or Duke Point in Nanaimo. Another concern was the sulphur content of the coal. Broten said that, due to pollution laws, coal cannot be sold that is more than 1.5 per cent sulphur. Sulphur is a cause of acid rain. Bill Hamilton, now 84 years old, was employed decades ago at the former Tsable River mine site in Union Bay that worked the same coalfield Compliance is considering. Hamilton said he was told in 1958 that the mine was closing because the coal couldn't be sold due to its high sulphur content. "There's lots of coal," said Hamilton. "They had six-foot seams in that mine. "We had ships from China and Japan coming in here taking the coal, you know, 10,000 tonnes. It looked good and then all of a sudden they found out there was too much sulphur for the smelters." In fact, Hamilton said the coal from the Fanny Bay mine was so high in ash that it was used as a component in cement and, at one time, a coal briquette plant was set up at the minesite. "They tried everything," said Hamilton. "The people here tried burning them in their woodstoves and the soot was just unbelievable. "They experimented and did all sorts of things. It's too bad, but it was one of those things." Compliance Joint Venture's Raven coal project website can be found at www.theravenproject.ca, while the Comox Valley Coal Watch Coalition's website can be found at www.coalwatch.ca. Let’s talk coal mining” at the Fanny Bay Community Hall, 7793 Island Highway, on Tuesday November 24th at 7:15 PM The Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition has been asked by Compliance Coal, proponents of a major new coal mine for the Comox Valley, to participate in its Community Advisory Group. The request included a list of the company's conditions of participation. CVWWC has replied with its own conditions before the drinking water watchdog will attend more meetings held by the coal mine wannabe. The Coalition is insisting that it must be free to speak to the communities, government or the media without asking permission from the mine’s Community Advisory Group. The Coalition also insists that their attendance at meetings to get information should not be interpreted as working towards approval of the mine. “We must be able to report to the public on what we find out about coal mines,” says the Coalition. “Our unanswered questions about water are pretty simple,” said Delores Broten, speaking for the steering committee of the Coalition. “Where is the water to wash the coal coming from? How much water is used in the process per tonne of coal? and ,What is going to be done with the polluted water?” Since there is no groundwater legislation in BC, the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition wants to know what Compliance is going to do to protect the drinking water of Ships Point and Fanny Bay. The first stage of this mine, the Raven stage, is going to extend for 7660 acres (3100 hectares) underground. What does that mean for all the water? The public can read all the information the CVWWC gathers, as well as the letters-to-the-editor which are not published in the papers, at www.coalwatch.ca . Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition is sponsoring a public community meeting for information and discussion, “Let’s talk coal mining” at the Fanny Bay Community Hall, 7793 Island Highway, on Tuesday November 24th at 7:15 PM. For More Information: www.coalwatch.ca Or phone: 250-335-0747 or Delores Broten, 250-339-6117

CVRD Water Open House June 11, 2009

C.V. Water Watch is asking you to attend:
The Comox Valley Regional District's WATER FORUM
Thursday, June 11th from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Florence Filberg Center

In attendance
– City of Courtenay, City of Comox, CVRD, B.C. Hydro, Ministry of Environment, VIHA, DFO, Timberwest, Comox Valley Water Watch, Courtenay Fish & Game Club, School District 71 students.
Find out about:

Water sources
Infrastructure
Water Efficiency
Water Consumption
Regional Water Strategy
Water Wise Program
Water Finances
Quality and treatment of water
Drinking Water Protection

Come out and get involved. Your Drinking Water needs your interest and participation.

Ask questions about
Can your drinking water sources meet the needs of future growth?
What is the 4-3-2-1?
Does your Water source meet the new 4-3-2-1 regulations set out by VIHA?
Are smaller communities going to have to meet the new 4-3-2-1 now, then tie into a regional water system and pay again later?
When do our rural communities tie into a Regional Water source?
What is the Regional Water source? Is it protected?
Are any of our drinking watersheds protected?
Are the Timber companies planning to subdivide land around Comox Lake ?, the drinking water suply for 38,000 people.
Is there really a private power operation application on the Cruickshank River, the largest tributary to Comox Lake? How will this affect the water supply? Are there going to be special regulations for IPP’s (Independent Power Projects) on watercourses which feed drinking water supplies?
What is a deep water intake? Why are we waiting to install one till 2019?
What type of pipes deliver water to your home? Are they asbestos?
Is there money being allocated for replacing these old and hazardous pipes all over the Region?
Are Water meters the answer? When will they be installed? How much will this cost?
If you are on a limited income, how will you be able to afford all of the new infrastructure costs coming your way? Who will pay these high prices for infrastructure needs?
Do you approve when local governments grant permission for a development, then indemnify themselves in the event the community runs out of Water?
Do you think proven water supplies need to be in place before developments are permitted?
What kinds of bylaws are in place to support water conservation? What more do we need to do to support local governments to enact bylaws to better conserve water?
Who do you call, when you see exsessive sprinkling by one of the municipalities on public land ?
Why can’t I re-use my grey water, or can I?
Can I treat my rain water system and use it for drinking water?
What are the water needs of our growing agricultural community to be able to produce our food supply?
We hope that you have read this list of questions and it has prompted you to ask even more. Ask how you can participate in the Regional Water plan. How can you REALLY get the citizens voice out there and heard when it comes to your Drinking Water ?

Hope to see you there. We will be bringing our 3D-watershed map!

Comox Valley Water Watch Steering Committee
Delores Broten
Kathleen Kinasewich
Linda Safford
Dawn Christen

C.V. Water Watch - speaker Series

Manager of Nanaimo Regional Water Services to Speak on Cooperative Approach to Drinking Water and Watershed Protection.

On Thursday, April 2, Mike Donnelly, Manager of Water Services for the Regional Water District of Nanaimo, will speak on a new program in his district called Action for Water that is providing improved management and increased security of ground and surface water resources. The talk will be given at the Florence Filberg Seniors Lounge beginning at 7 pm. Hosted by the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, the event is open to the public and admission is by donation.

The Action for Water program was created over the last year to help address issues associated with impacts on the region’s water resources and to improve our approach to land use that would then assist in reducing further degradation," he says. "This was done with the help and guidance of a committee representing a variety of region-wide interests including Electoral Areas residents BC Ministry of Environment, the Vancouver Island Health Authority, the Islands Trust, local well drillers, forestry interests and conservation groups

"Population growth in the (Nanaimo) region along with existing land uses continues to put pressure on ground and surface water sources which impacts our watersheds and drinking water. These impacts have already led to negative changes in many watersheds and reduced and or contaminated ground water sources in a number of areas throughout the region," notes Donnelly

According to Kathleen Kinasewich, who heads the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, "It’s important to hear success stories from other regional districts, especially here on the Island. I think folks here will be greatly encouraged to learn more about Nanaimo’s program, and how residents, government and other interested parties came together to take action on water protection."

Donnelly currently oversees the operation of seven water systems and six sanitary sewer collection systems in his district ranging from small to medium sized operations with a total service population of approximately 15,000 people. In addition to the service provision aspect of Donnelly’s work, he is now responsible for the implementation of the Regional District’s newly established Drinking Water Protection service.

In addition to his 15 years of involvement in the management of public water systems, Donnelly has also managed the Region’s Liquid Waste and Solid Waste functions and was manager of Regional Transit for a number of years. He holds a Technical Diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

For more information on CVWWC and the presentation, contact:

waterwatchcoalition@gmail.com

or call 250-335-0747. Kathleen Kinasewich

Drinking Water Protection Plan

Drinking Water Protection Plan Needed

Novemeber 18, 2008

The Water Watch Coalition is asking you to support the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan. If you value safe drinking water in the Comox Valley your letters of support are needed right now!
The Provincial Health officer has recommended the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan (DWPP) for the Comox Valley Regional Water Supply. Under BC's Drinking Water Protection Act the plan would become an "Order" once it was approved by Mary Polak, Minster of Healthy Living and Sport (HL&S). A Drinking Water Protection Plan is simply an order from the Ministry of HL&S for our area to start working together on a plan to better protect our drinking water supply. This DWPP would enable our region to start working together in a transparent and inclusive planning process and would allow all stakeholders and consumers of drinking water in the Comox Valley to contribute to the plan. –i.e. we will make the plan.
A key advantage to an order for this plan is that once the plan is completed it would go to cabinet and what cabinet approves will become regulation and will then be implemented. Please note that this order would not dictate the contents of the plan, but simply ensure that the plan be completed by the community. Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition is asking citizens to write Minister Polak to say you support the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan for the Comox Valley Regional Water Supply. Tell her the safety and security of our water supply is extremely important and that the Drinking Water Protection Plan will help achieve those objectives.
This is an urgent request to act right NOW. One paragraph saying you support the DWPP is all that is needed. Even if your house is not served by the Regional Water Supply you are affected when you drink water in town, at a friend’s, or at a public event.
Hard copy letters are much more effective but you can also contact the Minister by phone, fax or email.
Send your letter to:
Minister Mary Polak
PO Box 9067
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria BCV8W 9E9
Phone: 250 387-3504
Fax: 250 387-3420
E-mail the Minister at:HLS.Minister@gov.bc.ca

In addition to writing the Minister please send a copy of your letter to Water Watch Coalition at: waterwatchcoalition@gmail.com

Campbell River's tap water places fourth

For the second time in as many years, a B.C. municipality won a U.S. award for having the second tastiest tap water among entries from Canada and the U.S. The tap waters of three B.C. towns were among the top five winners. Clearbrook took a silver medal, followed by Elkford, which took bronze, and Campbell River, placing fourth. The awards came after weekend tastings at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, which judged more than 100 waters from 23 U.S. states and 11 countries in various categories. "Obviously they've got a good well," Abbotsford mayor George Ferguson said Tuesday of the tap water of Clearbrook, which amalgamated with Abbotsford more than a decade ago. Dean McKerracher, mayor of Elkford, said he was pleased that his town's tap water -- drawn from a well -- took third place. "I'm very pleased and glad staff took the initiative to send it in," he said Tuesday. He said the nearby town of Sparwood won third place last year in the best tap water category, so Elkford decided to challenge the neighbouring town's claim on having the best-tasting tap water in the Elk Valley, located in the southeast corner of B.C. in the East Kootenay area of the Rocky Mountains. The winner of the tastiest tap water, for the third time in four years, was the town of Montpelier, Ohio. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a former gold medal winner, ranked fifth among 29 tap waters entered from 13 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. The tasting competition takes place each year at the Winter Festival of the Waters in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, which bills itself as home of the first warm-water spa in the U.S., discovered by former U.S. president George Washington. "Congratulations to all the good water out there in B.C.," water-tasting event producer Jill Klein Rone said Tuesday. "You have good water." She said the tastings were conducted by 14 judges, including journalists from the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun newspapers. Winners were chosen using a maximum 44-point rating in six categories: appearance (up to five points), odour (five points), flavour (up to 10 points), mouth feel (five points), after-taste (five points) and overall impression (up to 14 points). "It's like a wine testing," Rone explained of judging. "Some waters are coming from a pristine source. But others, like the water district of southern California, aren't pristine, so they're cleaning it up and delivering a good product." Contact: nhall@png.canwest.com

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

An interesting and short video clip

In August 2007, an 'Everywoman' weekly-magazine program focused on "Women and the politics of water", which featured an interview with Maude Barlow. The 12 minute 15 second video of this broadcast is available at: http://womennewsnetwork.vodpod.com/video/268065-water-crisis-1-everywoman-women-and-the-politics-of-water?c=VideoCategory.8243 and at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcXJnZBnBRU. Thank you to Bill Hynd, Campaigns Coordinator at Oxfam Canada, for forwarding this video to us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Thanks for writing this.; November 10, 2008 at 7:57 AM
Anonymous said...: What words... super, an excellent idea; March 4, 2010 at 8:56 AM

Working Goals

1. To evaluate the status of local watersheds and to build a regional watershed management plan that ensures long-term sustainable access to clean water for all.

2. To ensure citizen control over water supplies so that the public has the ability to eimplement the management plan. With privatization an increasing threat public entities must do a better job of water stewardship. Access to clean water is a human right - not a privilege!

3. To increase the development of water conservation programs, for example, would water metering reduce water consumption?

4. To develop and support legislation on the local, provincial, and federal levels that will protect, maintain, and improve water sources. For example, if a Bill is introduced in Ottawa for a National Water Policy, we would give feedback and lend support if appropriate.

5. To create new initiatives in public education and water with a particular focus on school programs and a water conference.

6. To create and implement provincial and national water policies.

UN General Assembly recognition of human right to water

July 28, 2010

The Right to Water, a human right “The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. An adequate amount of safe water is necessary to prevent death from dehydration, reduce the risk of water-related disease and provide for consumption, cooking, personal and domestic hygienic requirements MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release July 28, 2010 Council of Canadians celebrates UN General Assembly recognition of human right to water After over a decade of hard work, the global water justice movement achieved a major victory today as the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of recognizing water and sanitation as human rights. The resolution - put forward by Bolivia and co-sponsored by 35 states - passed overwhelmingly with 124 states voting in favour and 42 abstaining. "It was a great honour to be present as the UN General Assembly took this historic step forward in the struggle for a just world," says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. "It is sad however, that Canada chose not to participate in this important moment in history." The organization is calling on states to build on this victory. "This resolution has the overwhelming support of a strong majority of countries, despite a handful of powerful opponents. It must now be followed-up with a renewed push for water justice," says Anil Naidoo, Blue Planet Project organizer. "We are calling for actions on the ground in communities around the world to ensure that the rights to water and sanitation are implemented. Governments, aid agencies and the UN must take their responsibilities seriously." As a result of this vote, the human right to water and sanitation is now explicitly and formally recognized in international law. "Canada's abstention from the vote will not excuse it from the work that needs to be done to maintain and improve its public water and sanitation systems for all peoples living in Canada, including Indigenous communities who have lived for generations without adequate infrastructure," says Meera Karunananthan, national water campaigner at the Council of Canadians. -30- For more information, please contact Meera Karunananthan at (613) 355-2100 or meera@canadians.org www.canadians.org This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from too bad Canada did not take a stnd in Favour of our water being human right.

Groundwater, Wells and Water Supply, In the Comox Valley are you vulnerable ?

Do you think because your drinking water doesn’t come from Comox Lake or surface water , you are off the hook for an ongoing, potable source of water? Do you think that aquifers, the source of groundwater, provide unlimited abundance and flow? Think again -- because when it comes to our drinking water and its future protection, even residents who rely on wells require awareness and education.
On Wednesday, May 20th, at 7 pm, the Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition will present hydro-geologist Pat Lapcevic from the Ministry of Environment in Namaimo, to speak about aquifers. The presentation will take place at the Evergreen Seniors Lounge in the Filberg Centre in Courtenay. It is open to the public free of charge.

Pat, a professional hydro-geologist with the Ministry of Environment based in Nanaimo, has over 20 years experience studying groundwater in a variety of diverse settings. Currently she leads a small team who are maintaining a network of dedicated observation wells, ensuring compliance with the provincial regulations, responding to complaints and inquiries from the public and carrying out several studies to better understand and protect groundwater resources in this region.
Pat will talk about the basics of groundwater protection and aquifers, groundwater resources in the region, common groundwater quality and quantity concerns, current and upcoming groundwater regulations and information and tools available through the Ministry of Environment which are available to the public.
The highlight of her talk will focus on the Vancouver Island Water Resources (Aquifer) Vulnerability Mapping Project – a research study that is analyzing the susceptibility of water quality to hazards associated with human activities and land use. Using GIS technology, it is designed to support decision-making in future land use planning, and the development of groundwater protection policies and guidelines. Pat is the project manager of this collaborative effort that involves the Ministry of the Environment, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Natural Resources Canada, Vancouver Island University (formerly Malaspina University College), the Regional Districts of both the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo, the Islands Trusts, and the Ministry of Health.
Notes Kathleen Kinasewich, coordinator of CVWWC, "It’s just May, the winter snow pack is low, and some wells are already at summer drought lows ! So, addressing the issues of aquifer protection is timely and a vital part of the bigger picture -- protecting all of our water sources today so that there’s plenty for the future."
The Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition works to ensure that all groups, elected officials and individuals interested in maintaining, improving and protectomg the local Comox Valley watersheds and water sources have the resources and education to do more.
For more information, call 335-0747

Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition