By Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
The Town of Oliver is crossing its fingers for a $4.6 million grant to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility.
On Monday, council passed a motion to apply for 100 per cent funding to address some wastewater treatment deficiencies in its lagoon system.
Director of Operations Shawn Goodsell said they are seeking the grant because the Town’s sewer reserves aren’t very healthy right now.
He explained that sludge accumulation over time affects the aeration and treatment process. He also noted the instability of the berm between the two lagoons, resulting in the berm needing an upgrade.
In addition, Goodsell noted they require more land to accommodate a third lagoon, but noted that obtaining land tenure is getting harder these days.
In 2017 a Crown land tenure application was submitted but the Town was told to review other options to increase its treatment capacity.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations deemed the land in question (Oliver Mountain area) environmentally sensitive with concerns relating to the Lewis woodpecker, Great Basin Spadefoot (toad) and the Behr’s Hairstreak.
Goodsell said the Town also wants to incorporate solar (photovoltaic) power at the treatment facility. The idea is to utilize the lagoon site as a location for renewable energy production as a means to offset emissions produced by the Town.
According to engineering consultant Sean Curry, this project would place Oliver as a leader in the province in terms of photovoltaic energy production “at a time when renewable energy is as important as ever.”
