There could be a 100 million to 200 million dollar investment in the North Okanagan. Spallumcheen council has given support in principle on a giant waste incinerator, one that would initially produce eight mega watts of power from garbage. The next step will be a feasibility study by the proponent. The proposal is a partnership with the Splatsin (Spallumcheen) First Nation, Korean giant Samsung, and three other companies and would go on reserve land adjacent to the township's border near Hullcar Road. After hearing the presentation Monday night, Mayor Will Hansma says there are a lot of unanswered questions. "I want to know what they're asking for. They're getting letters of support from MP's and MLA's, but who's going to be paying for this at the end of the day?" Hansma says they gave support in principle to get more information. Hansma says it would be a huge undertaking. "It's going to take a number of years to build. There's going to be greenhouses, and even a 100 unit housing complex." The eight megawatts it produces could make the area self sufficient for power. The proposal would require garbage from the central and North Okanaganas well as Kamloops, and significant infrastructure upgrades to get the waste to the site. The proponent, Gerald Williams, is expected to make similar presentations to councils in Armstrong, Enderby, NORD and Vernon in the days and weeks to come. Okanagan Shuswap MP Colin Mayes has written a letter of support for Williams. In the letter Mayes says, " I am happy to support Mr Williams' efforts to diversify the local economy through the creation of energy and the reduction in waste in my riding."
5 comments:
Will hot air from MP's be considered for waste reduction as well?
Wow! I thought this was an agricultural and farming area??
In the CSRD we have concerns over a red meat waste processing operation being allowed in a rural residential neighbourhood. Last month I attended a public meeting for a proposal for rezoning of land on Salmon Valley Rd to industrial to allow for the processing of sand and gravel (a "temporary" rezoning for a 25 year extraction plan)and now we are considering hauling in garbage from Kamloops and all of the Okanagan to burn in an area surrounded by farmland? Shouldn't we be more concerned about protecting and maintaining the integrity of our farmland? Who are we going to depend on to produce our food supply when our farmland is occupied by industry?
What a ridiculous idea for that area. give your heads a shake. The smell will likely be overwhelming for the area!
There would also be non-stop traffic, mostly large trucks going to and from the area every day, all day long. One of the largest dairy farms in BC is just down the road. This is farmland, not an industrial area! Kamloops, Kelowna, et al, need to take care of their own garbage problems! How could it possibly be feasible to haul garbage from all of these areas?!
This area is intensely water sensitive. Even with all the precipitation and snow melt we've had this spring and early summer, the aquifers are still so very very low. There are farms here, that have little to no water, running at 2-8 gpm, with well depths reaching anywhere from 200-600 ft depth. The amount of water needed to run the proposed incinerator, would cripple the neighbouring farms all down the valley. The carcinogens alone from the proposed incenerator will toxify the milk produced by the newer dairy on Knob Hill Rd, and again just up from the proposed incinerator. There are very large stock yards all down this valley, filled with beef cattle that are sold for public consumption. Large greenhouses and nurseries right down by there as well, that utilize a large amount of water for production of young trees and plants. The proposed incinerator may be a good idea for energy purposes, and may be a good idea to stop the overfill of landfills from Vancouver, the Okanagan Valley, and Kamloops, but the wind blows from the west most of the time. The smell, the carcinogens, and the toxic fumes from such an endeavor will harm the entire north Spallumcheen valley of Hullcar Rd, to Landsdowne Rd, and everywhere in between. What they also are not saying, is where their waste will be going, which will be into the Salmon River. It's just not a good place to put this idea. I am absolutely mortified to think of all the ramifications that this brings to my home, my neighbours homes, and the farming industry that is hanging on by a shoestring to begin with, in this small valley bottom.
J.Unger
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