Flush with confidence

 Thursday, 04 July 2013 02:00 SCOTT TRUDEAU Penticton Herald:
 An $11.7-million waste-water treatment plant in Okanagan Falls was officially opened Wednesday.  "This is a great step forward for the Okanagan Falls community," said Area D director Tom Siddon. "The current sewage system is almost 40 years old, and the age of the technology was beginning to show."  The new facility, located about one kilometre south of the community, has been operating since March 6. It replaces a plant that sat next to a residential area of OK Falls. The old plant was unable to keep up with the needs of the community or increasing environmental standards.  Waste water from the new plant is being treated using nutrient-removal technology, allowing it to be reused. For example, treated effluent is being used in the facility's heating and cooling systems as well as in its toilets and for irrigation. The treated effluent also is being released into the Okanagan River.  The new plant is equipped with a control room featuring sensors that allow staff to monitor the plant's mechanical workings and ensure equipment is working properly.  The project received $6.2 million in federal-provincial funding through the Canada-B.C. Building Canada fund, with the remaining amount coming from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.  With the new plant, residents will see a rise in sewer rates.  The exact breakdown of the cost was not known, but Siddon said in May that the rate hikes will be phased in over three years to mitigate the impact on ratepayers.  Residential rates will climb this year by $85 to $616, and additional hikes will occur in 2014 and 2015.   The new facility has nearly double the capacity of the former facility and currently services about 750 properties in the OK Falls area.