ROTHENBURGER: Noble Creek Irrigation System’s demise could have been avoided

The City knows neither how many of the 47 properties have access to the river, or how many are located where an intake is practical.

So why not spend the $3 million decommissioning costs on putting in permanent instead of temporary rip rapping to control erosion and save the system?

The NCIS has had challenges since it was built in 1903 but the City has had 50 years to fix it since it took it over after amalgamation. Instead, it has been allowed to deteriorate to the supposed point of no return.

After an earlier offer to partially subsidize a $14 million upgrade, the City came up with a plan to keep the system going at least until 2028.

But then came this year’s high-water levels on the North Thompson River, which brought erosion issues at the system’s intake, and suddenly it was all off the table.

There’s no doubt about the impact of shutting down the system — users face the prospect of dryland farming or taking the cash payout offered by the City to put toward building their own systems one by one.

It all could have been avoided if the City had acted years ago.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: Noble Creek Irrigation System’s demise could have been avoided

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