The regional district has finalized a sewer and water agreement with the Osoyoos Indian Band in the Gallagher Lake area.
The agreement sets out the details of how Senkulmen Utilities Ltd. and the regional district will cooperate in the operation of the Gallagher Lake sewer and water system.
The agreement is similar to the one the OIB entered into with the province to service the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Senkulmen Business Park.
The sewer and water service was established to accommodate a 30-lot expansion at Deer Park Estates. It will also accommodate local businesses and homeowners who want to hook into the new service. This new infrastructure will give the Gallagher Lake area the potential for redevelopment.
But some residents are wary about the new service. They argue that their septic systems work just fine, and they don’t want to pay the added cost of hooking into a sewer system.
At a previous meeting of Gallagher Lake residents, Aina Stetsko from Indian Head RV Park said there was a lack of communication before and during the infrastructure project.
Area D director Allan Patton said the RDOS can’t force residents to hook into the new service. But he does have concerns about septic systems potentially contaminating ground water in the area.
