A Castlegar resident who has been putting up with smells from one of the city’s sewage treatment plans for 17 years is optimistic things are finally about to get better.
Mo Barry, who lives in Woodland Park, where the south sewage treatment plant is located, says he was pleased with a recent meeting neighbours had where municipal services manager Chris Hallam outlined the steps the city is taking.
“I think the meeting went fairly well,” he said. “We certainly appreciated the fact Mr. Hallam has taken the initiative to get this fixed. I think what he has put forward as a proposal to city council is a good fix for us as residents. We feel they’re moving in the right direction.”
Last week Hallam outlined to council short, medium, and long-term steps to eliminate the odor, which is blamed primarily on foaming in the bioreactor due to the influx of fats, oils, and greases.
Immediate steps include installing a sprinkler system to reduce foam buildup, pumping foam and grease and disposing of it offsite, and adding a digestive product to upstream lift stations to break downs fats and greases before they reach the plant.
The city also plans to empty the sludge basins of biosolids in preparation for the installation of something called a Geotube de-watering system.
“We’ve noticed differences already,” Barry said. “The short-term fixes they’re working on he hoped to have done by the end of this month, and we’ll hold him to it.”
Barry explained the problem began in 2006 and got much worse three years ago. Residents sent delegations to city council to try to fix the problem, suggesting the addition of a centrifuge.
While previous councils appreciated the problem, he is not sure why it took so long for something to be done. He credits Hallam for taking their concerns seriously and figuring out a way to deal with it at a fraction of the cost.
“With what he’s drawn up, yes, we’re hopeful the smell will be gone. He’s the first person we believe who’s taken the initiative to deal with it.
“We’re really happy we’re moving this forward. Hopefully within a few weeks the smell will be gone, and then the liquid waste management committee can decide if they want to proceed with further things to this plant or how else they want to deal with the sewage issue overall.”
Last month council approved $50,000 in consulting fees toward the Geotube system, which is expected to cost another $386,000 to supply and install. An inspection last year by Environment Canada found the city needed a better plan to manage liquid biosolids.
A report is expected to come to city council Aug. 14 to award the contract and figure out how to pay for it.
