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Jessica Knodel Water Supply Quality as Important as Quantity June 1, 2007

Hopefully by now residents and visitors of Williams Lake are starting to understand that there is a potentially fatal problem with our city’s water supply. I say fatal because hopefully people are also realizing that Water is Life, and without it everything on the planet would perish. The problem with the City’s water supply is that the underground aquifer is steadily declining each year by 0.4 meters. The only good thing about this information is that we can do something about it. I hope everyone has already started to conserve at home, and in the workplace, and that people are sharing this information with others who may not read the newspaper or listen to the radio. Priority number two, second only to protecting the quantity of our water supply, is the need to protect the quality of our water. Just because the aquifer is hundreds of feet deep doesn’t make it immune to pollutants we use on the surface.

The hydrological cycle explains how water naturally circulates around the world (see picture). What I found particularly fascinating about the hydrological cycle was visually demonstrated in one of Jenny Howell’s classroom presentations. She added a drop of red dye into a replication of the underground water system and the students and I watched as the dye slowly traveled unimaginable distances. What this demonstration exemplified is just how unsafe our underground water is from surface pollutants. Most of us unknowingly have added harmful pollutants to the ground but with knowledge we can reduce our "urban runoff" here in our own backyard.

"Urban runoff" is a term used to describe when rain falls on areas that are developed (buildings, concrete, asphalt) and, instead of slowly soaking into soil (as it would in areas with little development), it quickly diverts into streams, ditches, and storm drains, taking with it pollutants such as oil, gas, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, garbage, and anything else that will float or dissolve. And since water is a very clingy substance, due to it’s natural polarity and strong hydrogen bonds, it simply doesn’t stand a chance of avoiding absorbing these pollutants. The water from the storm drains in the City of Williams Lake are not treated and flow directly into Williams Lake River Valley, which feeds into the Fraser River which in turn is partially responsible for recharging (refilling) our underground aquifer. In addition, our three stage treated sewage water gets dumped into the Fraser River after the treatment process is completed and, as we can see from the picture, these sources of water are all inter connected through the hydrological cycle.

So, what can we do about all this? Here are a few ways to reduce your urban runoff:

1. Hand pluck weeds, and use insecticidal soap instead of using chemical weed killers and other harmful pesticides.
2. If you must use chemicals, don’t over-apply; spot treat instead of general broadcasting; avoid spraying near ditches, lakes, or streams; and don’t spray while it’s windy outside.
3. Never dump chemicals or old paint into sinks, toilets, storm drains, ditches, or streams (*note – it is illegal under the Fisheries Act to harmfully alter the habitat of fish-bearing stream or add deleterious substances to its waters).
4. Use natural fertilizers on your lawns, and in your gardens.
5. Use biodegradable environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care products.

Water is Life . . . Use Responsibly. For more information on the declining Williams Lake water supply and ways you can easily start reversing and protecting it, please call 250-398-7929 or go to Water Wise. The Water Wise program is brought to you by the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society and is funded by Eco Action, Environment Canada until June 30, 2007.

First published in the Williams Lake Tribune
- Jessica Knodel, Water Wise Director, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society

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Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Unit 201, 197 2nd Ave North Williams Lake, B.C., V2G 1Z5
Phone/Fax: 250 398-7929 • ccentre@ccconserv.org • Coordinator: Marg Evans

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