— Regional District, Town of Osoyoos, Indian Band, and developer meet on issue —
(OSOYOOS TIMES — OCTOBER 10, 2007) —
By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times
A meeting last week between members of the RDOS (Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen), Town staff, Town Council, OIB (Osoyoos Indian Band) and the developers of Willow Beach saw discussion of a possible joint waste water facility near the landfill site at the north end of Lake Osoyoos.
However, at this point it remains unclear whether or not such a facility would be viable, or desirable to all involved parties.
Everyone showed a willingness to co-operate, said Len Chaston, project manager with the Willow Beach development.
We were trying to see … could we all work together to do a waste water treatment plant at the landfill site.
Originally, Willow Beach developers were unsure whether their 70-acre parcel of land at the lake's north end would provide enough groundwater for water and sewer amenities, leaving them looking in the Town's direction for help. Since it is against Town policy to extend its amenities beyond its boundaries, it was suggested to developers that Willow Beach come into the town.
However, tests concluded there is more than enough water to support the planned 1,200-unit development.
We are part of RDOS, and we plan to remain part of RDOS in the future, Chaston said.
Willow Beach has already engineered and drawn up plans for an on-site waste water management facility, but Chaston says the developer is exploring a joint option so that surrounding areas might also benefit.
They (Town and Council) said 'if you think there's merit in a joint solution … do your investigation … draw something up and get back to us,' Chaston explained.
The project manager said the Willow Beach development team plans to do that, hopefully presenting a study to Council in the spring of next year.
Mayor John Slater seemed mostly concerned about the health of the lake.
The RDOS have to figure out what they're doing with the land use at the top of the lake, Slater said.
The bottom line is we want to make sure no additional sewage goes into Osoyoos Lake. If you think about what's going to happen, there's going to be a population up there the size of Keremeos.
The Mayor said the Town wouldn't be committing to anything without further investigation.
We don't hire engineers on speculation, he said. We hire engineers on hard, fast facts.
The mayor also expressed concern a joint facility near the landfill site may jeopardize the $4.5-million grant for a northwest sewer expansion awarded earlier this year by the Province. That grant will link about 120 homes along Lake Osoyoos' northwest shore to the Town's sewer system.
Mark Pendergraft, Area 'A' Director for RDOS, says in no way would a joint facility jeopardize the grant, since it is for those specific homes and has nothing to do with Willow Beach. While he said the RDOS is not necessarily in favour of a joint facility, he did say it was in favour of developers looking at that option.
We need to keep all options open, Pendergraft said.
The 70-acre lot, formerly a campground and trailer park, was purchased by developers in the spring for $23 million.
