Kiskatinaw audit gives passing grade

Soil conservation and water quality protections in the Kiskatinaw River watershed have been met.

That’s the message from an audit by the independent Forest Practices Board which reviewed forestry, oil and gas, and range operations on Crown land in the area.

The audit reviewed five corporations for their practices in the area. Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. for its forestry practices, Apache Canada, Shell Canada and Encana Corporation for their oil and gas practices, along with the Bear Mountain Grazing Association for their range practices. The audit also looked at three individuals who have range tenures.

Although the audit found that all operators were within legal requirements for the items reviewed, the Board was unable to examine water usage by the various companies because that is regulated under the provincial Water Act.

One item the Board did find that could be improved was the fact that cattle congregated in certain areas along streams causing some disturbances.

The Kiskatinaw River is important to the South Peace region since the City of Dawson Creek obtains its drinking water from the river.