British Columbia is often thought of as a province characterized by towering mountains and magnificent ocean views, but throughout its history — from the First Nations who have lived here for millennia to the gold rushes of the 1800s to recreational salmon fishing today — rivers have been central to British Columbians’ lives.
That’s why it’s no coincidence that Rivers Day started in British Columbia in 1980. The last Sunday in September is now recognized as World Rivers Day and there were plenty of events in river communities across the province.
Rivers Day has often been a time to reflect on the problems facing rivers and on ways to improve stewardship. But we should take a moment to recognize the many success stories of improved river health across the province.
B.C. has a long history of monitoring the quality of the water in its rivers, and has reams of data and countless reports on specific locations across the province over time. B.C. also developed a Water Quality Index which is now being used by governments and researchers to classify water quality in Canada and around the world. The province also has a more comprehensive set of water-quality guidelines than any other province in Canada. But although B.C. has a wealth of data and research on water quality, this data and research are not easily accessible for the ordinary citizen.
Our paper, Canadian Environmental Indicators — Water, reviews and highlights many of the results from B.C. government water-quality studies and finds many major B.C. rivers have seen dramatic improvements in water quality over the past 30 years. For example, chloride concentrations in the Fraser River have declined substantially since 1979 due to changes in the bleaching processes used by pulp mills. This is true both at Hope and just downstream of Prince George and Quesnel.
The Okanagan River has experienced declining levels of phosphorus, a past cause of frequent nuisance algal blooms that were bad for the tourism and the recreation sector the region depends on. Indeed, due to investments in sewage treatment and the implementation of fertilizer-management plans, phosphorus levels in the Okanagan Basin are back to levels last seen in the early 1900s, before intensive agricultural and urban development.
The Columbia River downstream of Trail has experienced declining levels of fluoride, cadmium, iron, lead, zinc and barium since 1979. The water quality is considered good for aquatic life and human consumption (with minor treatment), which is impressive, considering it’s downstream from a metal smelter, fertilizer plant and wastewater-treatment facility.
Due to the natural composition of soil and rock in B.C., concentrations of metals in rivers can exceed B.C.’s water-quality guidelines in times of heavy flow. But according to the B.C. Ministry of the Environment, these exceedances are likely harmless to humans or wildlife.
Though it is not a major river, the restoration of the Tsolum River on Vancouver Island is one of the biggest success stories in B.C. A community restoration project resulted in the return of fish and bugs to the river 40 years after toxic releases from an abandoned mine virtually destroyed the river’s ecosystem.
So now that Rivers Day is past, let’s not forget our success stories; over the past 30 years we have improved the stewardship and the quality of the water in our rivers across the province. I know I will be celebrating this weekend while I am fishing for coho salmon on the Fraser.
Joel Wood is an economist with the Centre for Environmental Studies at the Fraser Institute in Vancouver.
