SILGA

The Southern Interior Local Governments Association (SILGA) had their annual convention in Merritt with h about 200 delegates attending.  SILGA give an opportunity for the smaller communities in the area south of Blue River, east of Lillooet, to Golden and the USA border.  There were a variety of discussions and talks the one that I received the most from was on “small water systems”.  There are 2 types of systems recognized one is Micro Systems (MS) they are for residential

/domestic use from between 2-25 connections and cannot be a commercial enterprise that offers water to the public. The other system is a “Small Water System” that serves up to 500 individuals in a 24 hour period.  Cost is the problem with small water systems. Often, 80% of the problem can be fixed it 1/5^th of the cost it takes to solve the remaining 20 % of the problem. It is this that frustrates communities; they wonder why we have to improve the water to that degree.  Often the problem can be control at the point of entry in a home with an ultraviolet light or reverse osmosis filtering. One delegate said it cost $300.00 a month to haul water in his area. People question these new systems that $150.00 a month is too costly and yet many people will pay well over that to watch TV or have internet/ cell service. Is it worth your health not to pay the extra for your health? There have been 25 outbreaks in the last 20 years from water borne diseases. Municipalities such as Barrier, Penticton, Revelstoke and Kelowna have all experienced outbreaks. The cost to the economy is high.