Newsome Creek Sorrento Water Solution

South Shuswap Scoop January 2022

By Barbra Fairclough

At its December 9th meeting, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board approved an application to the Disaster and Adaptation Fund for an erosion mitigation project for Newsome Creek. This is a federal program offering 40% funding to support structural and natural infrastructure projects that increase the resilience of communities impacted by natural disasters triggered by climate change.

Engineering consulting firm Kerr Wood Leidal assisted in the completion of the grant application to the fund. The total current estimate of the work is $7,215,000. If this grant is successful CSRD staff will reach out to provincial partners for additional funding support.

Newsome Creek residents have been affected by the severe erosion and Sorrento water users have been affected by the high turbidity flows near the Sorrento water system intake during freshet each year, leading to multiple boil water advisories over the past few years.

BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) has expressed interest in supporting this project as it fits with their intention to upgrade the Hwy 1 creek crossing.

Newsome Creek extends from the headwaters of Black Mountain and Mount Hilliam to Shuswap Lake in Sorrento. During the summer of 2009, wildfires swept across Black Mountain. This changed the watersheds’ ability to absorb annual spring runoff.

Since 2016 the banks along Newsome Creek between Trans Canada Hwy and Shuswap Lake have been eroding at an alarming rate during spring runoff. The erosion has caused concern for the property owners and residents along Newsome Creek. Since 2016, several homes have been under evacuation alert during spring runoff.

In spring 2017, significant erosion occurred below Hwy one and elevated water levels undercut the banks of Newsome Creek below the homes on Caen Road.

At a community stakeholder meeting on October 18, 2018, an official from Forests Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLINRORD) explained that when there is a loss of trees, water is not retained on the land as it was prior to the fire. A wax like crust often forms on the surface and repels water.

In spring of 2019, the CSRD and Emergency Management BC (EMBC) matched funding to pay for an engineer’s assessment to focus on producing an engineer approved work plan in support of a Phase two, completing the work. CSRD staff have been working with Newsome Creek Watershed Action Group and have not yet been able to secure funding for this work.

In 2018 the water quality at Sorrento was considered excellent, meeting all the provincial regulatory requirements and standards. There was substantial spring run off on Newsome Creek which directly affected the water quality. Large flows through the creek caused significant erosion and elevated turbidity near the Sorrento intake. As a result, there was a Boil Water Advisory in place from May1 to June 7 with turbidity reaching a peak of 10 ntu. Interior Health requires a boil water Advisory be issued when turbidity exceeds 5 ntu -Sorrento Water System annual update 2019.

“The increased velocity flows through Newsome Creek erode the banks and create high turbidity flows. These absolutely affect the water intake and without a doubt are directly responsible for the boil water advisories in recent years.”

Increased turbidity makes water treatment less effective because the suspended particles can shield harmful bacteria from the treatment process. Tools for measuring turbidity go from 1 to 10 nephelometric turbidity unit (ntu) and during freshet turbidity measurement has exceeded 10 ntu’s.

CSRD Staff are currently developing cost projections for operations and asset management through a proposed benefiting service area that is consistent with the current boundaries of the Sorrento Waterworks Service Area.

Newsome Creek Watershed Action Group photo https://newsomecreek.ca/