Rocks break up as they tumble down the mountain above a section of Gallagher Lake siphon, which the Town has to repair for millions of dollars. File photo
Regardless of what option it chooses, the Town of Oliver will have to dig deep in its coffers to pay for the Gallagher Lake siphon repair job.
That was evident at Monday’s council meeting where members discussed several options and their price tags.
In January a rock fall damaged a section of irrigation flume that runs at the base of the rock bluff. A temporary fix was implemented this spring after rock scalers made it safe to work on the project.
But now the Town is faced with a permanent repair or replacement job that will cost millions of dollars.
Water councillor Rick Machial introduced a new option on Monday, noting the repairs should be done from the inside the siphon in order to save on rock scaling costs.
“The high cost is because of the scaling (work). We have to look at a lower cost option,” he stated.
Council agreed to add that option in the $30,000 engineering appraisal.
Another option includes repairing the existing siphon for approximately $4.5 million. This would involve more rock scaling.
The second option is rerouting the siphon around Gallagher Lake for an estimated $9.5 million. This would require permission from the Ministry of Transportation and the Osoyoos Indian Band (for a right of way).
Option 3 is tunnel the canal through the mountain for $8.3 million. This would involve blasting or boring.
Option 4, a new pumping station at Kinsmen Park for $5 million, was scratched off the list and replaced by Machial’s option.
Option 5 is constructing a new siphon in Gallagher Lake for about $5 million. This would involve digging trenches at both ends and sinking the pipeline in the lake.
Council has asked finance staff to look at what funding is available for these options.
The Town received provincial government funding for the temporary fix, but it is not clear if more funding will be available for any of the five options.
Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson said a complete rebuild of that part of the canal will require a federal, provincial and Town partnership.
“The Town will need to bring the proposal forward when they are ready,” she noted.
By Lyonel Doherty
