Province confirms poor water quality in Washington state river is coming from B.C.

The province has confirmed water of poor quality flowing through the Nooksack River in Washington state is coming from multiple sources in B.C. 

This comes a month after Washington farmers and officials called upon B.C. to investigate and address high levels of fecal bacteria coming from the Canadian side of the border. 

A joint letter sent in June from the Whatcom Family Farmers and the North Lynden Watershed Improvement District addressed to B.C. Premier David Eby and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said routine water quality testing done by Whatcom County and the state's agriculture department found bacteria at levels over 200 times higher than the water quality standard. 

In a statement to CBC News, B.C.'s environment ministry said there are "multiple sources of poor water quality," including an Abbotsford compost facility. 

The province did not respond to specific questions about the other sources of contamination.

The ministry said it's reviewing permits for discharge limits for various operations in that watershed, including the compost facility, which it identified as Consolidated Envirowaste Industries Inc., operating under the name The Answer Garden Products. 

"We are working with [Consolidated Envirowaste] and they have appealed their discharge requirements," the statement said.

B.C.'s Environmental Appeal Board confirmed the facility has an ongoing appeal, with a hearing scheduled for April 2024.

Consolidated Envirowaste declined to comment to CBC News on the matter. 

'Monitor and address'

The province said in its statement it's working with several groups to address the problem.

"It is important to note there are multiple potential sources of the poor water quality in the Nooksack tributaries, and we continue to monitor and address water quality in these shared waterways in collaboration with state and federal U.S. agencies," it said.

Fred Likkel, executive director of farmer advocacy group Whatcom Family Farms, told CBC News in June he suspected the bacteria was due to dumping upstream. 

"I've been doing this for 25 years. Counts that high are a direct flow of sewage or manure going directly into the stream," he said at the time. 

Erika Douglas from Whatcom County's natural resources division said water samples near the border have shown "much lower" levels of fecal bacteria since May. However, she said higher bacteria levels are usually only seen in the late fall and winter.  

"We will be continuing to work with B.C. partners on response systems if acute discharges are observed again in this upcoming wet season," Douglas said.

Scarlet Tang from Washington's department of ecology said they are in contact with B.C.'s environment ministry, but have not received any information about specific sources of pollution.