DRINKING WATER: A RESOURCE THAT SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED

Have you ever taken notice of the fish that have been painted by community groups next to sewer drains? Have you tried to picture what would happen to a fish if it ingested something harmful you let go down the drain? Countless harmful substances do make their way into our waterways and water reservoirs. Although you may think of water pollution as primarily coming out of the end of an industrial pipe, many sources of pollution are not that easy to pinpoint. "Non-point sources" include all the households and boats that discharge sewage into rivers and lakes; all the motorists whose exhausts produce chemical fallout which eventually ends up in the river; all the gardeners and farmers whose pesticides wash into the storm sewers and creeks; all the commercial and industrial facilities that use chemical products which find their way into sewers and end up in our rivers and water reservoirs. It is clear that we all are part of the problem…read on if you are interested in becoming part of the solution.

Many of these substances not only threaten the health and life of fish and wildlife but also endanger public health. Although most people assume that someone removes these substances from the water before it comes out of the tap, in reality, this is not the case. In fact, millions of people in North America draw their drinking water from contaminated lakes, rivers or underground reservoirs and this water is only treated by purification systems that were originally designed to kill bacteria. Many harmful chemicals pass through these traditional municipal purification systems into drinking water. In many cases, these pollutants do not have immediate or easily identifiable effects on human health and may occur in concentrations that are close to or below "government drinking water standards". One must understand, however, that the absence of short term effects on human health does not necessarily mean that there won’t be a serious hazard in the long run. There is strong scientific evidence linking many waterborne chemicals with increased risks of cancer or with hormonal disorders. It is important to remember that drinking water standards are established based on short term studies and are mere guidelines.

Although some areas of Langley receive drinking water from the mountain reservoirs managed by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), a large proportion of the Township relies on aquifers (underground reservoirs) for drinking water and to provide water for agricultural and industrial activitities. Unfortunately, out of the five major shallow aquifers in Langley only one (Aldergrove) is mostly protected by the geology of the area. The other four aquifers (Langley-Brookswood, Hopington, Fort Langley and Abbotsford-Sumas) are unconfined and, therefore, susceptible to contamination from septic systems, landfills, leaking underground fuel storage tanks, industrial and farming activities, and "run-off" from parking lots, driveways, roads and chemically treated crop fields, golf courses and residential lawns.

Several studies carried out on behalf of the Township have shown that the water in Langley's shallow aquifers has been contaminated with nitrate (a "plant nutrient" that is found in both artificial fertilizers as well as in animal and human waste) derived from different human land use activities. Although in most areas nitrate concentrations have been found to be below the limit of 10 mg/L as nitrogen set for drinking water by Health an Welfare Canada, several "hot spots" for nitrate pollution were identified in the Hopington aquifer. In addition, low levels of pesticides and other organic substances derived from farms and households have been found both in the Hopington and in the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifers.

Nitrate pollution cannot be disregarded because of public health risks associated with it such as the "blue baby" syndrome. A disorder that can develop in infants ingesting water with nitrate concentrations above drinking water standards. Babies are primarily affected by this contaminant because their digestive systems are more acidic than those of adults and as a result nitrate is more easily converted into nitrite. Nitrite then enters the bloodstream and reduces the ability of the red blood cells to transport oxygen to the rest of the body. Although, in Langley, the levels of groundwater pollution need not generate panic, the supply of clean water is clearly threatened. How can this community plan for clean water in the future?

The Township of Langley has made some progress in this direction by requesting a number of independent studies on the state of its aquifers and a recent report recommending a water resource management strategy. It is time to start using the information and recommendations of these and move towards the next logical phase: the development and implementation of a long term management plan for water resources. Part of the solution is to come to terms with reality that we are not only contaminating our underground reservoirs but we may be depleting them as well, as one recent study reported. Before it is too late (e.g., before the population of Langley doubles in size), a long term plan to manage water resources is needed. Undoubtedly such an initiative will have costs associated with it, but these costs will be lower than the economic, social and environmental costs of ignoring what goes down the drain.

The Salmon River Watershed Management Partnership SRWMP is in the process of developing such a plan for one of Langley’s watersheds and invites your input. An open house is planned for late November to present the latest version of the watershed management plan. This public meeting will give you a say in what happens to the non-point sources of pollution that find their way to the streams and aquifers in our community.