On site inspection this afternoon at the foot of Road 17 (next to Okanagan River) sees heavy construction equipment working towards a goal of completing an ‘arctic char’ fish rearing facility.

Thursday will see Tara White, Senior Fisheries Biologist – Forest Lands and Natural Resources speaking as a delegation to an RDOS Meeting. Ms. White will discuss details of the proposed aquaculture facility on Gary Klassen’s property from a fish habitat perspective.

ODN had asked the ministry two questions: Has any form of license or permit being issued by DFO/Ottawa or MFLNRO/Victoria for this plant? Will the owner treat water and allow it to go onto the land surface or will the dike be breached to allow some form of waste-water into the river?

The answer to both questions would appear to be NO. The BC government is reviewing the application with a joint committee and the federal Department of Fisheries has the final say on a aquaculture permit.

Brennan Clarke Public Affairs Officer – Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations sent along the following information on Fish Farming, requirements of water quality etc on any discharge from a fish farm:

“The aquaculture application you asked about would require several layers of approval including:

· A permit under Section 9 of the water act allowing the applicant to conduct “works in an around a stream.” (Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is the lead)

· A permit allowing him to discharge waste-water into the Okanagan River (Ministry of Environment is the lead)

· An environmental protection permit (also Ministry of Environment) to safeguard the quality of water discharged into the Okanagan River system. Water quality concerns include temperatures, disease and the level of oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, pharmaceuticals and other aquaculture by-products.

· An aquaculture permit approved by both the province and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This permit has gone through the preliminary stages and is now under review by a joint committee made up of staff from DFO, the provincial Ministry of Environment and the provincial ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations. A final decision on this application is not anticipated until all of the other permitting requirements have been addressed. DFO has the final say on the aquaculture permit.

· The applicant would not need a permit to fill his tanks with well water as ground water is not regulated by the province.

· The Okanagan River system is considered highly sensitive and the B.C. government is committed to ensuring this application has no impact on water quality or downstream fish habitat.” says Clarke.