Kamloops City Councillors could decide the fate of the Noble Creek Irrigation System (NCIS) at a special meeting of council this afternoon, Sept. 5.
City staff have put forward a series of options that could help keep the irrigation system operational in 2024.
Those include buying properties impacted by emergency riprap installed this past spring or asking those owners to waive any right to compensation to loss of land. Options also includes decommissioning the at-risk portions of the NCIS – like the intake and the pump house – and replacing it with a temporary pump along the riverbank.
Fox Creek Farms owner Justin Fellenz – who is part of the newly formed Noble Creek Irrigation Society – tells Radio NL he doesn’t think there’d be much interest in the first two options.
“I’m not interested in selling any of my land and I’m not interested in waiting that liability. My neighbour, I’m sure, would feel the same,” Fellenz said on NL Newsday.
“In the marathon meeting that we had last time, we asked for the city to bring the resources to bear that they really needed to talk about with the province. And as a result, we came up with this option 3. And option 3 is to decommission the system, which we all – I mean, I can’t speak for everyone – but it really seems to be unavoidable.”
Fellenz says that third option, will allow that decommissioning work to go ahead while also ensuring that the users of the irrigation system have water during the transition period.
“That has really been the sticking point up till now,” he said. “We found out about the change here in June and there is not enough time to go through all of the approvals and everything and to design a system and build it between June of one year and May of the next.”
City staff say the installation of a temporary pump would require Ministry of Forests approval, but it was “felt to be a favourable option by the representative on site [during the Aug. 22 site visit].
“Engineering assessments of system demand and pump sizing would be required, but it was believed that it was feasible,” the report said. “The City could operate the pump until the end of the 2024 irrigation season, which would provide the existing customers time to develop their plan(s) for new water systems.”
City staff also say if council picks the third option, it would need to hire four temporary full time equivalents to monitor the system around the clock during the 2024 growing season.
“Temporary pumping of this nature can be very challenging given the turbidity of the North Thompson River and would require 24/7 monitoring,” the staff report said. “Four full-time equivalents would be required to facilitate the shifts necessary for the City to provide this type of coverage.”
A hybrid version of that third option would see the City decommission the at-risk portion of the irrigation system and apportion its water licence to the 41 customers, allowing some – or all – of them to form a water user community. That community would then need to buy the remainder of the system from the city, source out the temporary pump as well as the approvals to operate the irrigation system.
“The water user community would then become responsible for procuring, operating, and maintaining the pump, which could, in theory, remain as the point of diversion (intake) for several years while plans are being developed for a permanent solution,” the City report said. “This option would allow the water user community to work with an irrigation consultant of their choice for the temporary pump, to operate the system as they desire, and to have full control over the future of the system.”
“This option would require expedited work in conjunction with the Ministry of Forests, the City, and the water user community, but the Ministry of Forests has publicly indicated their willingness to work with the groups to find a solution to this challenge.”
Both the Noble Creek Irrigation Society – believed to represent a majority of NCIS users – and the Noble Creek Irrigation User Group – representing all of the users of the NCIS – have responded to the City staff report outlining recommendations and concerns with plan as presented.
Low water levels on the North Thompson saw the Noble Creek Irrigation System shut down earlier this month, forcing the farmers who use it to find other sources of water for the rest of this growing season.
“The other thing that has happened is the City is paying attention and we finally have gotten the decision makers – all the stakeholders – talking,” Fellenz said. “Now we can really move ahead and some creative solutions have occurred.”
As it stands right now, the system is still on track for a planned decommissioning at the end of this year.
“Although staff are exploring options related to operating the NCIS until the end of the 2024 irrigation season, the current Council directive is to decommission the system at the end of the 2023 irrigation season and work with customers to give decommissioning payments,” the staff report said.
– With files from Brett Mineer
#Kamloops city staff have come up with a report to see if the Noble Creek Irrigation System could operate through the 2024 growing season.
The report that goes before Tuesday’s special council meeting has some “collaboratively discussed” options.https://t.co/62DrPcxvpD pic.twitter.com/yxtyt4LTqw
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) September 1, 2023
