Abstract
In July 1986, a spring used for domestic consumption was discovered 680 meters below a stand of timber to be clearcut. The spring, known as Strom Spring, was unlicensed and therefore did not show up in a referral to B.C. Ministry of Environment, Water Management Branch. Immediate concern was raised about the potential impact of the harvesting and site treatment on water quantity and quality. After an assessment, Ministry of Forests hydrologists determined there was no evidence that water quantity would be affected. However, changes in water quality were not known. In response to the lack of information on water quality in this area, the Kootenay Lake Forest District requested a water quality monitoring program to assist in the evaluation of the harvesting effects on Strom Spring. Water samples were taken monthly from October 1986 to November 1988 during which time the block was harvested and burned. Sixteen chemical parameters were monitored. Calcium, hardness and conductivity showed increasing trends during the monitoring period. At times, iron and total hardness concentrations exceeded drinking water quality standards. A number of factors including the underlying bedrock geology and the relatively short sampling period make it difficult to attribute increasing concentration trends or high concentrations to up-slope harvesting activities.
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Updated April 12, 2007
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