The
head of the North Okanagan Regional District says residents may be
facing future hikes in the price of water to cope with changes to the
distribution system. District staff report that the Duteau Creek water
treatment plant ran close to capacity for much of the summer as farmers
watered their crops. They say if the Duteau plant runs over its 160
megalitre daily capacity, raw water would have to be diverted around it,
prompting a water alert. Staff are urging movement on some separation
projects so that farmers are not using the expensive treated water.
Administrator Trafford Hall admits the projects will be costly. ``We
could solve them very quickly but that would mean a significant amount
of more cost borne by the water user or we could solve them slower and
this is the political decision we must make,'' says Hall. NORD has
proposals for seven separation projects on the books but only two have
reached the planning stage. Hall also says consumers must be convince to
ration their water. ``So all of these things will be considered
politically and my own suspicion is we will see water prices increase to
the consumer,'' he says. The latest water advisory in the Vernon area was unnecessary,
according to NORD's administrator. Hall says an ``operational issue'' at
the Mission Hill plant triggered last weekend's Interior Health notice.
Hall says alerts should not be sent out when there is no elevated risk.
Officials plan to meet to sort out their differences.Thursday, October 06, 2011
Higher Water Costs Likely As Separation Projects Considered - NORD boss complains to IH over latest water advisory
The
head of the North Okanagan Regional District says residents may be
facing future hikes in the price of water to cope with changes to the
distribution system. District staff report that the Duteau Creek water
treatment plant ran close to capacity for much of the summer as farmers
watered their crops. They say if the Duteau plant runs over its 160
megalitre daily capacity, raw water would have to be diverted around it,
prompting a water alert. Staff are urging movement on some separation
projects so that farmers are not using the expensive treated water.
Administrator Trafford Hall admits the projects will be costly. ``We
could solve them very quickly but that would mean a significant amount
of more cost borne by the water user or we could solve them slower and
this is the political decision we must make,'' says Hall. NORD has
proposals for seven separation projects on the books but only two have
reached the planning stage. Hall also says consumers must be convince to
ration their water. ``So all of these things will be considered
politically and my own suspicion is we will see water prices increase to
the consumer,'' he says. The latest water advisory in the Vernon area was unnecessary,
according to NORD's administrator. Hall says an ``operational issue'' at
the Mission Hill plant triggered last weekend's Interior Health notice.
Hall says alerts should not be sent out when there is no elevated risk.
Officials plan to meet to sort out their differences.
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