Home »
The facts about Kimberley’s Wastewater Treatment Facility
By Mayor Don McCormick
Here are a few of the most relevant facts about the City of Kimberley’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. As you read through these, it becomes obvious why we are at the point in Kimberley history where a replacement is needed.
- Constructed in 1967 (55 years old);
- Upgraded/expanded in 1979 (12,000 resident design);
- Current population is 8,115 and growing at approximately one plus per cent per year;
- Identified as ‘likely highest risk” plant in the East Kootenay by Ministry of Environment;
- Recent inspections by the MOE resulted in operational solutions being imposed.
These facilities are complex. In 2017, a $2,187,880 grant was secured to develop a detailed design for the construction of a new facility. $2M+ for design should provide a good idea of how complex this is. This was funded 100% by the Province of B.C.
Other considerations:
- The facility is located on the flood plain of the St. Mary River, an environmental disaster waiting to happen;
- The river is home to several fish species including the endangered Westslope cutthroat trout and Kokanee salmon;
- The discharge is up-stream of several communities, including Aq’am (Ktunaxa community of 400);
- With no redundancy as required by the Ministry, there are warnings of significant fines from the Ministry;
- Attracting and retaining staff to run an aging facility is an issue.
The City of Kimberley, in conjunction with our consulting engineers Urban Systems, has been doing detailed planning for the past five years or so.
We have considered all possible solutions and have chosen this as the best solution for delivery of this most critical of city services.
Editor’s note: This election features a referendum question on the ballot to determine whether the electors approve of the city borrowing of up to $35 million to help fund the replacement of the existing wastewater treatment plant with a new facility.
On October 15, voting will take place at McKim Middle School, 689 Rotary Drive, between the voting hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mayor McCormick is returning as city mayor for four more years via acclamation.
e-KNOW file photo
