OSOYOOS TIMES-December 2, 2009
Now that we’re on the verge of construction beginning on the Northwest Sewer Project, the work of Osoyoos town council, the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) board of directors, Town of Osoyoos and RDOS staff and TRUE Consulting has to be acknowledged.
So many of these people have made extra efforts during this past year to get the project to the point where it seems shovels will finally go in the ground.
Over the past 24 months, a number of obstacles popped up to stall groundbreaking for the project, from a dismal global economy to political roadblocks to failed funding agreements.
But recently, our leaders have pushed forward to approve bylaws and develop agreements that hopefully will bear fruit in the new year and it seems a reliance on septic systems on Osoyoos Lake’s northwest shore will soon come to an end.
Outside of the realm of local governments, the residents of the northwest shore also need to be thanked for their patience and those property owners who have helped the Town and the RDOS secure rights-of-way for infrastructure needed for the project deserve gratitude.
At an information session on the project at the Sonora Community Centre on Nov. 26, Terry Underwood of TRUE Consulting presented a history of the efforts to move the sewer project ahead dating back to 1989.
While it’s easy to recognize the actions of those who are spearheading the project now, it has to be remembered that countless individuals over the past 20 years, from former councillors to volunteers to planners at the municipal, provincial and regional levels, all played a hand in getting us to the point where we are now.
The benefits of two decades of work by dozens— if not hundreds of people— seem to be in reach now for everyone who has an interest in the health of the lake.
The completion of the project is still a long ways off and there are still challenges ahead.
For one thing, it still seems like a gamble, albeit a necessary one, to rely on the contributions of developers to foot nearly one-sixth of the cost of the project, considering past agreements that never came to fruition.
It would appear, however, that this community is now closer than ever to taking a step that will help improve one of our greatest resources in this area: Osoyoos Lake.
So hats off to all who have made it happen and to those who are making it happen.
Keep the momentum going so that people who are living here 20 years from now can enjoy water in our lake that’s a little cleaner.
Hopefully they will look back and recognize that 2009 was a turning point for water stewardship in the South Okanagan.
