Separating Water

Peter McIntyre Friday, 13 November 2009 10:39 107.5 KISSFM:

Separating irrigation and domestic water will be the next phase of the Greater Vernon master water plan. The Lavington-King Edward system will be the first priority area in the $2.5 million project. Coldstream director Gyula Kiss (pictured) says the process will reduce demand on the new Duteau Creek treatment plant. "Treating the water, whatever treatment you have, is expensive and the infrastructure to create this treatment also is expensive, and the more water that goes onto orchards, the larger the infrastructure has to be." Kiss says separating the water reduces the size of the needed infrastructure and requires less treated water which saves costs. Focus Engineering will be undertaking the design the first phase of the project.

On the topic of the new $29 million treatment plant, project manager Bill Di Pasquale told the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, construction is 50 percent complete, with work likely to wrap up in May. The facility is being constructed on a site on Whitevale Road in rural Lumby.