Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: June 05, 2010 12:00 PM
A Vernon politician believes water shortages can be avoided if the public abandons queasy feelings about treated effluent. With concerns increasing about creeks and lakes not keeping up with demand, Mayor Wayne Lippert says reclaimed water from the city’s sewer treatment plant may provide a sustainable alternative. “It’s a resource that’s there. The bottom line is we need to re-think some of our sources,” he said. Presently, treated effluent is used to irrigate three golf courses, some parks and hay fields. But Lippert envisions a day where reclaimed water is used on residential lawns and to flush toilets. “We need to look to the future. There are many different places where they’re doing that,” he said. Lippert insists waste water is potable even through existing treatment in Vernon, and the prospect of drinking it will only improve as time goes on. “It’s more mind-set than anything else. As the technology improves, it’s possible,” he said. Retrofitting pipes in existing neighbourhoods could be expensive, so Lippert says specific lines for using waste water will probably occur in new subdivisions first. “In Vernon alone, there are already previous approvals for 10,000 new residences. As they are built, that will be a huge number of houses using it,” he said. Provincial approval would be required for expanded use of waste water, but Lippert admits the most significant challenge may be public perception. “We need to keep an open mind and look at ways to conserve our resources,” he said of drinking water.
Some North Okanagan Regional District officials are concerned that Greater Vernon may not be able to utilize Kalamalka Lake to its full extent even if there are drought conditions because the provincial government establishes the rules. “We may think we have a large water license but under the new Water Act, there could be restrictions,” said director Mike Macnabb. Director Buffy Baumbrough points out that some of the oldest water licenses in the Okanagan basin are for communities at the south end of the valley and they may take precedent over Greater Vernon. “What does that mean for us if we’re in severe drought?” she said.
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Don Quixote Note: Below is a posting from July 7, 2006
Vernon Daily Courier:
The City of Vernon could soon be operating under tougher sewage disposal guidelines as a result of the water reclamation plant that opened last year. In a letter to the Ministry of Environment, the city has asked to have their operating permit changed to reflect the plant’s increased capacity. A new agreement would allow more effluent to be disposed of in the MacKay Reservoir or, in case of emergency, through the outfall pipe in Okanagan Lake. “It’s an all together change in our operating certificate,” he said. “Anyone who operates a sewage treatment plant and disposes effluent in any fashion has to have a permit. The existing permit applies to the plant that the city used for the past five decades. The new permit would reflect the cleaner wastewater that comes from the new facility. “The issue before was because we couldn’t (treat sewage) really well (the ministry) was very strict on where we could spray irrigate,” he said. “The water is of such a high quality . . . we meet the (standards) to spray irrigate without notice.” As much as possible the city has tried to reuse wastewater by treating it and then using it as spray irrigation on fields all over the city. Under stricter environmental standards, the city will have to live up to those quality levels in monthly tests. The wastewater is now clean enough that the city could dump all of it into Okanagan Lake, but Gous said Vernon chooses not to except in emergencies. He said “political will” prevents them from pumping waste into the lake.
The new wastewater treatment plant uses the most cutting edge technology, Gous said. Large inorganic materials like paper and metal are filtered out at the beginning of the process. After that the wastewater passes through a series of clarifiers where bacteria, organic matter and harmful nutrients such as phosphorous and ammonia are removed. The final product is treated to make it meet Canadian drinking water guidelines, Gous said.
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