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Illegal dump found in Kelowna backcountry, authorities seeking answers

Those who recognize the suspect vehicle are asked to come forward
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Illegal dump up Postill Lake FSR, near Kelowna. (BC Conservation Service)

BC Conservation Officers are looking for answers after a pile of illegal waste was found up a service road outside Kelowna.

Electronics, a microwave, chairs, garbage and other household items were dumped on Postill Lake Forest Service Road (FSR) northeast of the city over the weekend.

Now, conservation officers are looking for tips regarding a vehicle they believe is involved in the dump. Anyone dumping illegally in B.C. can face penalties under the Environmental Management Act from $575 to a maximum of $1 million and up to six months in jail.

A white Ford Ranger was seen on March 27 with a full load of household garbage, Conservation Officer Ken Owens explained March 31. The truck was heading onto Postill Lake FSR at 11:24 a.m. Not long after, at 12:10 p.m., the same truck was spotted with an empty cargo bed.

Illegal dumping suspect vehicle. (BC Conservation Service)
Illegal dumping suspect vehicle. (BC Conservation Service)

The waste was found just past the 10 km mark, near the Moore Lake access road.

Online, the Okanagan Forest Task Force (OFTF) posted about the dump, but although the group formed to clean up the backcountry, directors urged users to leave the pile until authorities could inspect it.

Since formed, the OFTF has removed over 300,000 pounds of waste from the Central Okanagan backcountry.

Anybody with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: phil.mclachlan@kelownacapnews.com


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Phil McLachlan

About the Author: Phil McLachlan

Phil McLachlan is the editor at the Penticton Western News. He served as the reporter, and eventually editor of The Free Press newspaper in Fernie.
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