October 2016 • Country Life in BC
17 Whatcom County farmers look to BC producers for co-operation
Washington producers blame contamination on urban, rural issues north of the border
by PETER MITHAM
ABBOTSFORD – Producers in Washington State want the BC government to pay closer attention to the impact urban development and farming practices have across the Fraser River delta, from Langley to Lynden.
Writing to Governor Jay Inslee, the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County said the six watershed improvement districts it represents have worked to maintain local streams in a way that serves the interests of both fish and farmers.
Unfortunately, the board alleges that activities north of the border are working against those efforts, exacerbating the problems of Whatcom County farmers. “We have seen several of our trans-boundary streams dried up due to dams in British Columbia,” states the letter, signed by potato farmer Scott Bedlington, chair of the Ag Water Board. “We request you to bring this issue to the attention of the British Columbia government, the BC-Washington
Environmental Co-operation Council and the International Joint Commission which addresses trans-boundary concerns.”
December 2015 letter The letter follows a
December 2015 plea by the Washington Department of Agriculture for BC to clean up its act with respect to fecal coliform in Perry Homestead Brook and Pepin Creek.
The two streams are tributaries of Bertrand Creek and Fishtrap Creek in Whatcom County, which feed into Portage Bay – where shellfish harvesting by the native Lummi has been largely closed due to high coliform counts since late 2014.
“Calculations estimate nearly a 90% reduction is needed in bacteria loads in Bertrand Creek at the border, while an approximately 40% to 60% reduction in loads appears necessary in Fishtrap Creek,” state officials reported.
Now it’s time for BC Gerald Baron,
spokesperson for county farmers, said that group members have done their part now it’s time for BC to take action.
“There are many partners and moving parts to this,” he said. “You can’t solve the water quality and the water supply issues by only
addressing farmers. It involves our city, county and, in our case, it also involves our Canadian neighbours.” Co-operation is particularly critical because Whatcom County farmers face
accusations that they’re being irresponsible. To counter the allegations, the Ag Water Board joined forces in June 2015 with the Whatcom County Dairy Federation to form Whatcom Family Farmers, an advocacy group representing nearly 400 commercial farmers and about 1,000 small-scale
Water quality issues south of the Canada/US border have Washington farming groups lobbying their state capital to pressure officials north of the border to urge BC farmers to clean up their act. (File photo)
farmers. The new group has
documented the success of nutrient management regimes on local farmers and the work done to improve local watercourses. But it’s a different story north of the border. While municipalities and farmers spend tens of thousands every year in ditch maintenance, surface water continues to harbour bacteria.
Urban design practices
Even though better management of the 2.8 million cubic metres of manure Fraser Valley livestock produce each year has been helpful, urban design practices that increase storm water run off have exacerbated the problem. “Urban areas are major
contributors of fecal coliform contamination,” the Whatcom Family Farmers note in research documents. “The percentage of paved and developed areas in the Canadian portion of the Bertrand watershed has more than doubled in the past 50 years, and the paved percentage of Fishtrap watershed in Canada is even higher, at double that of the Bertrand.”
The water only becomes dirtier after passing through Lynden, thanks to a frothy mix of leakage from aging wastewater infrastructure, pet droppings and wildlife that boosts stormwater bacteria. Similar concerns exist in BC, where contamination of the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer has been a concern for decades. Reduced flows in
See “RESOURCES” page 18
RANCHER ENDORSED CALF SALES
Valley Auction Ltd., Armstrong BC Valley Auction Ltd., Armstrong BC VJV Dawson Creek, Dawson Creek BC VJV Dawson Creek, Dawson Creek BC B.C. Livestock Producers Co-Op Association, Kamloops BC B.C. Livestock Producers Co-Op Association, Kamloops BC Okanagan Falls Stockyard, Okanagon Falls BC Vanderhoof Auction Market Ltd., Vanderhoof BC Williams Lake Stockyards, Williams Lake BC
BC Livestock, Okanagan Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monday, October 17 BC Livestock, Kamloops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuesday, October 18 BC Livestock, Williams Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wednesday, October 19 BC Livestock, Williams Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday, October 20 BC Livestock, Vanderhoof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friday, October 21 VJV Dawson Creek Auction, Dawson Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friday, October 21 BC Livestock, Williams Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saturday, October 22 BC Livestock, Okanagan Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monday, October 24 BC Livestock, Kamloops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuesday, October 25
Thursday, October 23, 2014 Thursday, November 6, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014 Monday, October 20, 2014 Tuesday, October 21, 2014 Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Monday, October 27, 2014 Friday, October 24, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
For further info, visit the BC Angus Association online, find our board and members at:
www.bcangus.ca BC Angus Association, 600 Bailey Road, Chase, BC V0E 1M1
Tom deWaal President 250-960-0022 | Jill Savage Secretary 250-679-2813
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