Research project testing northwest benchland water beside Osoyoos Lake

By Lawrence McMahenrnOsoyoos Times

A research project studying groundwater on the northwest benchland beside Osoyoos Lake has found nitrate and nitrogen levels above the national and provincial standards for drinking water.
The study, led by University of Saskatchewan hydrogeology professor Jim Hendry, began installing monitoring wells last summer. For the next year and a half he and about three of his 21-member U of S research team will test water samples from more than 30 of these monitoring wells.
Hendry says the goal is to find out as much as possible about the origin, transport and fate of nitrates in the groundwater around the lake.
The professor, who recently moved to Osoyoos, is an expert on the transport of groundwater contaminants and recently issued a major report on high nitrate levels in the water around Abbotsford.
In intensive agricultural areas where the use of fertilizers is common, there is the potential for high levels of nitrates.
Hendry says a preliminary look at the northwest Osoyoos benchland shows there is a lot of diversion of water, which could exacerbate nitrate concentrations in certain spots.
He says high nitrate levels can lead to eutrophication of water, with high levels of nutrients in the water leading to algae bloom. Leakage of sewer runoff is a problem for the same reason.
It's bad for drinking water, Hendry says. For example, for pregnant women it can cause 'blue babies' and can cause death for the very young or old. It's also a health hazard for cattle.rnHendry says he has a particular interest in the long-term processes at work in the transport of groundwater contaminants. Studies can indicate the impact of nitrates for dozens or even hundreds of years.
In this Osoyoos study, Hendry's master's student, Pana Athanasopoulos, will do chemical and isotope analysis that will provide age-dating of the water, to within a half-year's accuracy. The analysis checks for metals, nitrates, alkalinity, and major ions of calcium, magnesium, sulfates and chloride.
In a parallel study, Hendry will also be conducting an isotope study in the northwest bench area on how oxygen is depleted in the sub-surface “ a particular interest of his.
Hendry's study has generated interest around Osoyoos.
Lionel Dallas, chair of the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society, looks forward to sharing data between Hendry's researchers and the Society, which conducts its own lake-water sampling in the summer.
Hendry says he has held preliminary informational meetings with Mayor John Slater, Destination Osoyoos, the Osoyoos and Oliver engineering departments, the Desert Centre, the Osoyoos Indian Band, and the group called Groundwater Assessment in the Okanagan Basin. He says all were very interested in his research project.
Hendry hopes to include some monitoring wells on the Nk'Mip Indian land, which could show natural groundwater conditions unaffected by heavy agricultural activity.
He says not much is known yet about the sub-surface hydrogeology of the Lake Osoyoos area, and there isn't much data on water quality, the source of nitrates or the age of the groundwater “ so his research should be of value for the area.
The nitrate study will be the basis of Athanasopoulos' master's thesis.
The research is being funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, Golder Associates, and the Canada Center of Excellence in Water.