Salmon Arm resumes water intake after lake spill containing glue, fuel products

SALMON ARM, B.C. – Interior Health says the City of Salmon Arm, B.C., has resumed using water from Shuswap Lake after a spill of thousands of litres of run-off water containing glue and fuel products.

Interior Health spokeswoman Michaela Swan said that there’s virtually no risk to human health from the city’s water intake after the spill on Tuesday, near the shoreline of Canoe Forest Products.

However, Swan said Wednesday that the public is advised to avoid recreational activities such as fishing from 100 metres off the log booms in the southern arm of the lake.

Any residents who may have concerns about their personal health related to the spill are advised to contact a health-care practitioner.

The Environment Ministry and Environment Canada are assessing the spill, and Canoe Forest Products said officers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Conservation Officer Service were on site Tuesday.

While the company confirmed that a discharge of potentially contaminated water occurred at its plywood plant in Canoe, B.C., it said the spill does not amount to thousands of litres as reported by the health authority.

“The initial problem was traced back to a plumbing leak in the mill,” operations manager Marcello Angelozzi said. “It has since been repaired. The area of discharge has been contained and will be remediated as necessary.”

He said Canoe is working with the Fisheries Department, conservation officials and the health authority to assess the risks and determine next steps.

Angelozzi said there was evidence of a water leak on March 7, with water accumulating in a pit where glue used in making plywood sheets is collected.

“While the leak was being investigated, the increased volume of water was pumped out of the glue pit to collection vats outside. It appears some of the water may have escaped and possibly entered the Shuswap Lake shoreline.”

The City of Salmon Arm website said it takes 85 per cent of its water supply from the lake, and the rest from East Canoe Creek.