Photo Credit: Blackwell Dairy Farm Inc./Facebook
A group of Kamloops residents are concerned about the health effects of dust blowing onto their properties off the hill from the Blackwell Dairy Farm.
Residents in Dallas, who live in the valley below the dairy farm lands, presented a delegation to Kamloops City Council on Tuesday in an effort to try and find a solution to dust pollution they have seen on their lands.
The residents believe the dust to be a mix of sawdust and biosolids that are being used by Blackwell Dairy Farm. The dust swirls into the valley when strong winds blow through the area.
“When the wind blows, I can’t go outside. It comes over the hill and right into my house,” said resident Del Corsi. “The air smells sour when this is happening. The smell isn’t all the time, but it’s regular enough that there’s no mistaking it. It’s a septic-like smell.”
Corsi and other residents brought samples of dust from their homes to show Council what they are dealing with.
“I brought a wipe off of my window sill and the other stuff I shook off my mat, and there was sawdust in there and there was a bunch of black dirt,” Corsi said. “I’m worried about all of our health; we’re a lot of seniors.”
Blackwell Dairy and Arrow Transportation have a permit to use the biosolids product that began in January 2014 and is valid through 2016.
City officials have no evidence of biosolids being blown into the valley, but they have noticed the large sawdust piles being blown into the residential area below.
City of Kamloops staff are working with Blackwell Dairy and Arrow Transportation to remove the large sawdust pile, which they are not permitted to have on the property. The sawdust is expected to be gone from the site by August 10th.
Blackwell Dairy has already moved the sawdust they use for their own operations further onto their property and away from the bank where it can blow onto the valley below.
“When I see a company that is working to resolve the problem, we want to work with them to see that it is done,” said Jon Wilson, Community Safety and Enforcement Manager for the City of Kamloops. “We want to see the site remediated instead of getting into a legal battle with fines.”
Blackwell Dairy has received permission through the BC Organic Matter Recycling Regulation to use biosolids on their property, which uses recycled water waste as fertilizer or soil amendment.
Residents have been trying to contact the Ministry of Environment to have the dust tested, but have received no response.
The residents hope to see some change to limit the dust and smell in the residential area, whether it is to move the biosolids product further onto the property or to put tarps over the area to minimize the dust blowing down into the valley.
Council members expressed their concern for the residents, but are limited in what they can do with the matter.
City staff will provide Council with an updated report of the removal of the excess sawdust pile at the next meeting on August 18th.
