While there isn’t any risk of the Coldwater aquifer going dry, the CAO in Merritt calls back-to-back years of extreme drought conditions on the Coldwater River an environmental crisis.
Merritt brought in short-term solutions to conserve water this year but Sean Smith says they’re looking for more long-term solutions, as the city’s main source of water is the Coldwater aquifer.
“It is very likely that the most reasonable solution is going to be able to draw primarily from other aquifers that aren’t hydrologically connected to the Coldwater River,” he said. “We do have an existing well in town that does draw from a deeper aquifer that isn’t connected. I think one of the main things that we are considering right now is can we look at potential expansion of that well so that it would be able to service the city functionally during this time of year.
“One of the issues is that that well has a much higher manganese content, so we would need to work on filtration.”
Smith says the city of Merritt has commissioned a grant-funded study which will help staff better understand the issue in the future.
“Council is really wanting to be a leader in being good stewards of environment so we as staff are taking that mandate and trying to look at how we might be able to come up with some solutions,” he added.
“When we talk about top priorities, golly it feels like there are a lot of them but it is certainly a priority and something that council is wanting to be looking at. There are certainly challenges to us getting there and like everything else in life, its about cost, but we see this as a priority.”
In a statement, Mayor Linda Brown says the short-term measures are needed even if the city doesn’t fully know the degree to which watering restriction support the Coldwater River water level.
“I know there are those who question the science behind the connection between the surface water of the Coldwater River and the aquifer,” she noted. “The Coldwater River may be the most drought-vulnerable river in the Province, and as good stewards of the land, we must work together to ensure and restore the health of the river.”
