Western Forest Products to address Health Board

The Sunshine Coast Regional Government resumes its role as a Local Health Board for three days of hearings beginning today. At the end of these three days, the Board is to rule on the following: "Does logging in the watershed pose a threat to human health?" Something to bear in mind is that drinking water from the Chapman Creek watershed is chlorinated. Therefore, we would like to post a comment submitted to this blog on August 5th.

"It is too bad that our government fails to address or talk about the adverse effects of watershed logging from a real scientific perspective.
The real problems are:

1) logging is well known to increase peak runoffs (mainly because of decreased evapotransiration) and thereby increasing water turbidity making disinfection more difficult as organisms are able to "hide" in the particulates. When using chlorine, increasing turbidity increases the production of trihalomethanes and other carcinogens. There is an accepted link between chlorination and bladder cancer.

2) logging roads increase human access which is a well known risk to watersheds used for human consumption. This is why Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland legally prohibit public tresspass into their watersheds.

3) logging causes compaction of the soils and so that the forest floor no longer absorbs and filters water as it does in an undisturbed area. Roads where compaction is worst, are used for travel by animals and people which often leave their wastes which now wash off the road unfiltered, into a culvert and directly into drinking water sources."

Dr Lee Hutton, Pathologist, Nelson

Dr. Hutton's insights are greatly appreciated and they back up the submission presented by Dan Bouman, Executive Director of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association, and others during the last round of Health Board meetings held the week of July 23rd.

At this new round of public meetings, Western Forest Products is expected to finally address the Health Board and its concerns. WFP long awaited hydrologist report may finally see the light of day. As well, the 'Concerned Citizens of the Sunshine Coast' is expected to make its submission to the Board. The latter group is encouraging all Sunshine Coast citizens to attend these meetings especially on Friday when the Board will make its ruling.