As an unprecedented drought carries on with next to no relief in the form of rain in the North Okanagan, drastic Greater Vernon water restrictions continue to hammer agriculturalists.
But two Coldstream orchardists are proposing a solution that could help their orchards survive this year, while taking pressure off the water system next year when conditions could be just as dry.
Local agriculturalists have been informed they can only use 30 per cent of their remaining water allocation for the year, prorated to June 14.
The 70 per cent reduction in water allocation is a measure Greater Vernon Water has taken in order to ensure the area gets through the summer and beyond without having to enter Stage 4 restrictions, at which point all agricultural water could be shut off.
Since Stage 3 was declared in early June, farmers have been hearing that finding extra sources of water isn’t as simple as it sounds, as lake and ground water in the area is largely accounted for already.
However, the Coldstream aquifer is not fully recorded, and it’s now being eyed as an emergency solution to the water shortage.
Orchardists David Geen and John Byland appeared Wednesday before the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee (GVAC) to pitch a proposal to drill three wells into the Coldstream aquifer, which Geen said is only about 20 per cent allocated currently.
Geen is a fourth generation orchardist whose family has grown orchards in the area since 1903. His ancestors were directly involved in creating agricultural storage reservoirs and other utility infrastructure in the valley.
His orchards are currently 90 per cent cherries, of the sort that have made the Okanagan Valley famous over the years.
“This is the 123rd fruit tree crop that we’re growing,” Geen told The Morning Star.
In that time, neither he nor any of his ancestors have ever heard of fruit trees dying because the water supply was shut off. Yet, that’s the reality many orchardists are facing.
Byland is a second-generation nurseryman whose fruit trees are a key source of plant material for Okanagan orchardists. He’s the largest licensee producing varieties from the Summerland breeding program. He served as chair of the Lakeview Heights Irrigation district for 20 years, and operates farms served by public utilities and private systems.
Geen and Byland’s combined 480 acres of allotment from Greater Vernon Water in the Coldstream Valley use 1,060 megalitres of water, which is about 10 per cent of the total storage capacity in the Duteau reservoirs.
Their plan is to start drilling wells on July 13, and they noted the province requires them to absorb the cost of this at their own risk.
Western Water Associates has been retained to assist the process, and hydrogeologist Doug Geller of Western Water was at the July 8 GVAC meeting to help provide information.
“Fruit growers are making do with starvation rations, applying just enough water to replenish most, but not all, of what the tree consumes each day,” the proponents said in their presentation notes.
“While almost certainly the crop will be impaired, in most soils, it is enough water to keep the trees alive, as long as we are in Stage 3 with no heat dome event. However, if we hit Stage 4, all bets are off.”
Geen and Byland applied for a short-term use approval of the three wells they plan to drill, with a maximum 24 month expiry.
The idea is to access water from the Coldstream aquifer to help keep their trees alive, allowing them to turn their Duteau taps off, which would then take pressure off a key water source that other agriculturalists are currently relying on and having to ration.
“In a nutshell, we are self-funding a temporary solution that removes 10 per cent of the demand on the over-stretched Duteau source, benefiting all Greater Vernon Water customers, including ourselves,” they said.
Geen clarified that by the time the wells fully come online, it will be later in the year and there will be minimal Duteau water savings as a result of their project this year. However, he said the real benefits to other agriculturalists would come in 2027, which could be just as dry a year as “we’re heading into a one-in-100-year El Nino,” as GVAC director Brian Guy pointed out.
The hope is that the wells wouldn’t have to be used beyond 2027, and the goal is to ensure Geen and Byland’s fruit trees survive, because as Geen said, they take 10 years to grow and can’t be replaced next season the same way other crops can.
“Every gallon we’re able to pump out of that aquifer is a gallon coming out of the upper lakes that another farm can have,” Geen told The Morning Star. “If we’d had these (wells) in place this year, instead of growers being cut back to 30 per cent, we could have been cut back to 40 per cent.
That’s the upside Geen is hoping will come to pass next season if the drought persists. As it stands, a step up to even 32 per cent this year would be a consolation for farmers, as several of them expressed at the meeting.
GVAC questions costs
GVAC members appeared to be supportive of Geen and Byland’s proposal from the start, but the two sides went briefly back and forth on the cost of installing the well infrastructure, and who would be footing the bill.
David Sewell, CAO of the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO), asked for clarification on the terms of the agreement the proponents were pursuing.
“The expectation is that it would transfer at no cost to the regional district. Because if it’s an agreement that said it would be subject to a buyout or something like that, that becomes a negotiation,” Sewell said.
Geen said he and Byland expect the wells to be transferred to the regional district at cost, meaning the regional district would cover the expense of building the wells once the 24-month use period is up, and Geen and Byland would not be making a profit.
“We’re putting money in because the utility has failed us,” Geen highlighted.
That clarification altered GVAC’s decision-making slightly, as a previously put forward motion was revised.
GVAC agricultural representative Tom Ouchi put forward a motion to support Geen and Byland’s proposal to drill the wells on their neighbouring properties with the intent to obtain a temporary use permit from the Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship with a 24-month expiry.
In addition, the motion asked the RDNO to expressly support an agreement by which Geen and Byland will transfer ownership of the wells to Greater Vernon Water at cost around the time of Nov. 30, 2027.
A resolution concerning the proposal will go before the RDNO board of directors at its July 22 meeting.
Farmers voice concerns
Rachelle Zelaney, co-owner of Zaleney Farms in Coldstream, attended the meeting and said she liked what she heard from the proponents.
“I honestly think it’s a great idea. I think that what was illustrated in the presentation shows that the water is there under the ground and that accessing it could save the orchards and have an economic benefit,” Zelaney said.
Zelaney Farms grows 20 acres of ground crop vegetables and is most known for its carrots, which are distributed from West Kelowna to Salmon Arm.
Zelaney said they’ve had to cut back on planting crops and have switched to planting more drought-resistant potatoes due to the water restrictions. They’ve also implemented three acres of drip irrigation, at a “huge” expense.
Zelaney said non-farmers in the area aren’t grasping the seriousness of the situation that farmers face, despite the fact that crop losses could create a significant ripple effect throughout the local economy.
“And it affects our food security, and at the end of the day there’s still so little water up there that we’re actually at risk of being at Stage 4 restrictions which is zero water for agriculture, and that not only impacts our food security but it also then impacts people turning on their tap and having access to clean water in their homes,” she added.
Vernon’s Davison Orchards wrote a letter in support of Geen and Byland’s proposal.
“A multi-faceted approach is critical to provide as many tools as possible to get through this crisis,” the letter states. “Orchards and other crops are already suffering and we haven’t yet experienced the full heat of summer. We implore GVW and the province to be open minded and act quickly to provide any relief possible to the farm community.”
A handful of other farmers in the area stuck around after the meeting to discuss the season ahead of them amongst themselves outside the RDNO offices. Across the street, an apple orchard was bearing fruit.
Whether it will in the future remains to be seen.