THURSDAY
S I N C E
AUGUST 1, 2013
1 8 9 5 Pickleball sizes up spot on courts
Vol. 118, Issue 120
105
$
Page 9
INCLUDING G.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Columbia River not affected by fuel spill, says ministry
SPLASHDOWN
BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Reports that a stream of the 35,000 litres of jet fuel spilled into Lemon Creek on Friday by an overturned tanker truck made its way down Kootenay River and possibly into the Columbia River, are being dispelled by BC Ministry of Environment (MOE). According to the MOE the likelihood that the Columbia River was contaminated is minimal although the water is being monitored. “There has been no evidence that jet fuel has reached the Columbia River,” said David Karn, media relations for MOE, in an email to the Trail Times. “There remains a lot of work to do in assessing the river and this will take time to complete.” However, further downstream south of the border the Washington State Department of Ecology, located in Lacey, Wash., has been notified by the ministry. MOE is required to notify the U.S. by an agreement, called “CANUSWEST”, which was developed 20 years ago to mitigate the effects of oil and hazardous material spills on health and safety, environment and property on either side of the B.C./U.S. border. “Further information has been provided (to the U.S) when and as requested,” said Karn. On Sunday, MOE staff participated in a flyover and observed trapped jet fuel along the Slocan River in log debris. Control points have been established in the Slocan River to capture any product that comes loose from further upstream, said Karn. “The ministry will continue to monitor this situation long-term and ensure clean-up and remediation is undertaken by the responsible party,” said Karn. Environmental disasters like the jet fuel spill call to question if the local regional district has an up to date plan to respond to hazardous material spills. “We (RDKB) went through a compete plan revision in November 2012,” said Dan Derby, Emergency Services coordinator and assistant Regional Fire Chief. Derby said that due to the remoteness of the West Kootenay, any incident, hazardous or not, is focused on an organized rally of local resources to ensure quick response. “When we activate our plan, because we are rural, the issue is more about staffing,” said Derby.
ART HARRISON PHOTO
A young swimmer comes to a sudden, splashy stop on the waterslide at Warfield’s Centennial Pool on Wednesday. With the pool back in operation this week, water enthusiasts young and old have been making up for lost time.
Fire danger remains high ahead of long weekend BY ART HARRISON Times Staff
In spite of nearly a month with little precipitation there is no change to fire restrictions in the region but that could change next week. “At this point there are no restrictions on campfires but we’re maintaining the open fire ban for the region,” said Jordan Turner, fire information office for the Southeast Fire Centre. “We’ve got a fire official monitoring the situation and we are considering a ban as early as next week, depending on precipitation in the next few days.” Although it’s still hot and dry locally, Environment Canada is predicting
unsettled weather in the coming days, with a possibility of thunderstorms, which could in turn mean an increased possibility of wild fires. For those considering camping this weekend, Turner wants to remind the public to be careful and follow the B.C campfire regulations. “Campfires have to be kept to a half meter by half meter and campers are required to either have a shovel on hand or eight litres of water to put the fire out,” said Turner. “They are also required to maintain a fire break at least one meter around the fire and are never leave a fire unattended.” The only wildfire of note in the region
is still the Perry Ridge fire burning in the Slocan Valley, which has been burning since July 24. The lightning caused fire currently covers 96.8 hectares and is rated as un-contained. The Southeast Fire Centre has 103 firefighters and eight helicopters committed to fighting the blaze. “The fire danger rating for our region is mainly high, with a few pockets of extreme danger around Grand Forks and Nelson,” said Turner. “Other than the Perry Ridge fire there is a small fire, less than one hectare, in the Mt. McGregor area, 22 kilometers east of Nelson. We have an initial attack crew on the scene there.”
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