A community north of Vernon, British Columbia, near Swan Lake is one step closer to getting a local sewer system.
This week, politicians met in Spallumcheen for the formal groundbreaking of a new wastewater treatment facility.
“The wastewater recovery facility will bring in the wastewater from the surrounding community that is currently on septic systems. Here is where it will first be handled before moving on to lagoons.
From there, the water will be used on local farms, according to Christine Fraser, the mayor of Spallumcheen.
The facility is part of a larger project that is expected to eventually provide hundreds of properties in the Swan Lake area with access to a local sewer system.
“There is a large number of septic systems now that are affecting the water quality in Swan Lake so this has a huge environmental benefit in that it will help clean up Swan Lake for the water quality as well as the wildlife,” said Fraser.
The development of the area is anticipated to be aided by the new sewer infrastructure, which is anticipated to service homes in Spallumcheen, on Okanagan Indian Band Land, and in the Regional District of North Okanagan.
According to the chief of the Okanagan Indian Band, Byron Louis, the tribe has around 64 acres of land in the Swan Lake area, and the new sewer hookups will enable the tribe to develop territory that it was previously unable to do.
Louis characterised the project as an investment that enables safe area development rather than as an expense.
Fraser said Spallumcheen expects to see more industrial development while the regional district has plans for residential projects.
It has taken over seven years for the multi-jurisdictional effort to reach this stage.
“I believe that creating a wastewater plant for a single town requires a lot of labour, but when three entities are involved and have various goals in mind, the process simply takes a little longer. Fraser noted that the environmental process is also quite controlled, as you might expect for a wastewater facility.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost more than $40 million with over $33 million coming from the provincial and federal governments.
In 2023, construction is anticipated to begin.
Swan Lake water quality is anticipated to improve because to a sewer improvement.
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