Who Really Knows? Should We Care?

Many strides have been made in Cranbrook’s sewage disposal system.  From there apparently being ‘no problem’ five years ago, Cranbrook now has a more up-to-date system - a scathing Environmental Appeal Board Hearing and $27 million dollars later.  There remain however, some issues of concern for Fort Steele residents and for those who want to know more about the food they eat.

Brian Radyke's (BC Public Health Veterinarian) opinion was that grazing beef cattle water sources should be avoided if the testing exceeds the guidelines given by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The guidelines are:  not exceed 5,000 total coliforms per100ml and not exceed 1,000 fecal coliforms per100 ml.

In the 2011 Cranbrook report provided to the Ministry of the Environment it is shown that the total coliforms are 15.8 times above the guidelines and the fecal coliforms are 79 times above the guidelines.  Yet in the report to the Ministry of the Environment from the City Engineering department, it is recommending that testing of the cattle watering holes cease.

RDL= Reliable Detection Limit represents 95- 99%.  G1 ponds - 4 interconnected drinking ponds

At the Council meeting of June 25th, the researched concern was raised over the testing of cattle drinking water at the Spray Irrigation Fields.  Some may ask 'Why the concern?' if cattle can deal with drinking treated effluent.  Some of those who raise cattle see no problem with the practice of allowing cattle to drink treated effluent and some would say this not a city concern.  However, if beef consumers were aware of what went directly into the animal's diet, they might feel differently.  It would appear this is a common sense and ethical issue.  

Here are two very good reasons why.
1. While it is said by some ranchers that high counts of pathogens are not a problem, others differ in their opinions.  A cow's digestive system is well adapted to different types of drinking water.  It is common knowledge cattle will drink their own waste.  However according to the provincial veterinarian, if the drinking water is over recommended levels of pathogens, cattle can be become dehydrated and lose weight.  The cattle immune systems can become weakened and more susceptible to parasites and other diseases.  Concern is compounded by the high concentrations of pharmaceuticals, hormones and chemicals (not removed by any current treatment at the Cranbrook fields) contained in the effluent.  Canada Food Inspection Agency does test the meat.  However most of the tests are superficial.  In depth analysis only takes place on a sparse number of animals and long term effects of this kind of practice are not known.

It is interesting to look at Alberta's stringent regulations and it is interesting to note that new federal guidelines have just been released.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/07/18/bc-wastewater-treatment.html
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-07-18/html/sor-dors139-eng.html

For wastewater irrigation to be authorized in Alberta, the minimum treatment requirement is primary treatment followed by seven month storage.
p6 ‘Alberta Guidelines for Municipal Wastewater Irrigation’

A minimum buffer zone of 30m and preferred setback of 59m shall be provided between the irrigated land and any surface water body including dugouts, irrigation canals, lakes, streams, rivers and water reservoirs.
P 20  ‘Alberta Guidelines for Municipal Wastewater Irrigation’

In addition the land area to be used for wastewater irrigation and storage cells shall be sufficiently large that the wastewater discharge will not occur during the following periods
During and for 7 days prior to pasturing by livestock other than dairy cattle when the wait period is 30 days.
p20 ‘Alberta Guidelines for Municipal Wastewater Irrigation’

http://environment.gov.ab.ca/info/library/7268.pdf

It is somewhat ironic that some of the cattle raised on this area are slaughtered in Alberta.

2. Some run-off from these fields continues to make its way into the Kootenay River and 17% of Cranbrook’s effluent volume continues to leak into the area water table. (Cranbrook’s 2011 Report to the Ministry of the Environment)  The new upgraded system of treatment at the spray irrigation fields will ultra-violet treat the effluent in order to remove pathogens but not pharmaceuticals, hormonal products and heavy metals.  The effluent is then re-contaminated by the cattle in an area which continues to drain into a major waterway.

This CBC news item from June 26th also highlights the issue of differing opinions.


E. coli found in several rural Alberta areas

A Calgary lab executive is warning that Alberta could be the next location of an E. coli outbreak.
Chris Bolton, CEO of Benchmark Labs, has found E. coli 0157 — the pathogen that led to the deaths of seven people in Walkerton, Ont., 12 years ago — in several spots across southern Alberta.
He worries an Alberta community could be the next Walkerton, and says too many cattle operations are doing too little to keep their manure runoff out of the waterways.
“There doesn’t seem to be any containment between the open livestock pens, the dairy barns and the other facilities that are here, and they slope directly down to the canal,” Bolton said.
Over the past two years, Bolton has found E. coli 0157, high coliform counts and salmonella in irrigation canals.
E.coli 0157 can be deadly at any level. It produces toxins that can cause severe gastroenteritis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS, most common in young children, can cause permanent vascular and kidney damage and can be fatal, according to Alberta Health and Wellness.
Bolton said he’s frustrated with the response he’s been getting from the provincial government:
“We’re finding huge gaps between the different agencies … either through miscommunication or lack of will. We’re not seeing a lot of action in this area,” he said.
The Alberta Beef Producers, an industry group, however, said E. coli is naturally occurring and it’s unfair to blame cattle producers for the higher than average rates of infection in the province.
They added that wildlife feces is a potential source of the pathogen.
The Natural Resources Conservation Board said its current risk management system for protecting surface water has been recently strengthened and is working well.
University of Calgary microbiologist Glen Armstrong said there should be a follow-up on the locations where E. coil 0157 was found, but added he isn’t too concerned about the elevated coliforms or E. coli levels, which are over the provincial guidelines, but not by much.
(CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/06/25/calgary-ecoli-water-alberta.html
http://updatednews.ca/2012/06/25/e-coli-found-in-several-rural-alberta-areas/