Cranbrook Mayor Ross Priest has responded to a recent letter to the editor criticizing the city's sewage treatment. "The accusation that the Ministry of Environment just became aware of the problem [sewage run-off] is preposterous," Priest said at the City Council meeting on October 6. "We've had no problems with humans or animals at the site. Thirty years, no problems."

The treated effluent from Cranbrook's aerobic sewage treatment system is pumped into two sewage lagoons located about ten kilometres northeast of Cranbrook, in a narrow valley that extends southeastwards from the St. Mary's River. After a minimum of 30 days storage in the lagoons, the effluent is disposed via spray irrigation on agricultural fields located primarily southeast of the ponds.

The city has an arrangement with several ranchers to provide 6,000 to 7,000 acres of cultivated land for cattle to graze on. The fields are sprayed during the growing season.

City councillor Angus Davis said, "My concern is we now have this judicial hearing going on but still people make all these accusations. They say we're thwarting the law before the city even has a chance to make their presentation."

The City of Cranbrook has been operating on good faith with the Ministry of Environment, Davis assures. "We are operating according to the rules. Nobody is trying to hide anything."

Canadian Pacific Railway has reported some leakage from the spray fields to the railroad track.

The government has ordered Cranbrook to operate one of their two storage basins at one third of capacity until the situation is settled.