Noble Creek Irrigation System intake (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

NOBLE CREEK IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Users search for solutions as Noble Creek Irrigation System set to be decommissioned in September

Jun 15, 2023 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Last year, Kamloops city council approved $3 million to provide needed upgrades to the Noble Creek Irrigation System (NCIS) in an effort to keep the system operational until 2028. However, erosion along the North Thompson River near the inlet of the creek will see the irrigation system taken offline this fall.

“I can’t make that kind of commitment without a long-term solution. If I don’t have water, I don’t have a farm, essentially,” said Adam Woodward, Woodward Cider Company, about possible expansion of his crops.

Not having water will likely be a reality for Woodward and his fellow NCIS users in Westsyde. Kamloops council voted to decommission the system, which runs at an operational deficit and is no longer financially viable, at the end of September, leaving residents depending on the water for their livelihoods searching for solutions.

“The NCIS provides $6.5 million of economic impact to the city of Kamloops and it also provides a lot of food security out there. There are lots of vegetables being grown out here, there is forage for cattle,” said Woodward.

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One solution already off the table is placing the farms on the potable water system for the city, as Kamloops Utility Services Manager Greg Wightman confirmed that would not be economically feasible.

“Potable water would require about $70 million worth of upgrades, which obviously isn’t a feasible number. That would come out of the potable water utility, paid for by the potable water customers throughout the city,” said Wightman.

With the water set to be shut off in September, Woodward is worried about the timeline for having a new system in place ahead of next year’s growing season.

“We need to be watering kind of April 1 of next year, so that provides about nine months or so of time to secure funding, get through all the red tape, hire a contractor and then install. All of that takes a lot of time,” said Woodward.

Wightman noted that the decision to decommission the site comes as they don’t believe the province will allow them to keep needed riprap in place along the sides of the river near the intake of the irrigation system, putting the system at risk of failure.

“River levels began to rise and we saw continued erosion, about another eight metres of bank loss,” said Wightman. “We had to do emergency works out there under the Emergency Management Act. We were able to get that done. It is going to provide some temporary protection, possibly though that work may need to be removed after this freshet season.”

Next Monday (June 19), service users will have a chance to meet with city staff and council to discuss next steps as both sides work towards an equitable solution.

“We are going to basically see what they have to say and go in with an open mind. I really hope the council comes in with an open mind. I feel like there are other solutions out there — we just need to work together,” stated Woodward.