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Village of Lumby. (File photo/Vernon Matters)
By Pete McIntyre
federal-provincial funding

Lumby gets $7.9 million grant for new wastewater treatment plant

Dec 22, 2021 | 12:00 PM

The B.C. and federal governments have announced funding for a North Okanagan wastewater improvement project.

The Village of Lumby is getting almost $8 million in government grants to replace its aging wastewater treatment plant, as well as to rehabilitate an existing lagoon system, and the installation of liners to prevent leaks into Bessette Creek.

Lumby mayor Kevin Acton says replacing the more than 50 year old existing facility at this point makes good sense.

“This will ensure compliance with the provincial and federal wastewater regulations, improve the quality of treated effluent, and from a capacity perspective, the new system will have improved redundancy measures in place,” said Acton.

Acton said the timeline for construction is either fall of 2022 or spring of 2023.

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“We just have several regulatory studies we have to do first,” he told Vernon Matters.

The mayor said the village plans to fund its $2.9 million share through three revenue avenues.

“Firstly, our reserves we have built up, secondly, utilize some of our partnership earnings and thirdly, a moderate increase in our sewer user fees. We haven’t nailed down the breakdown of each contribution, but plan to make it as painless as possible for the taxpayers,” Acton explained.

The facility will be built in Lumby’s existing wastewater plant site using existing lagoons as part of the treatment process.

Also getting funding was the Columbia Shuswap Regional District to build a water treatment plant at Scotch Creek on Shuswap Lake. That $3.2 million project also includes installing a trunk watermain, and upgrading a water intake to increase treatment capacity and improve water services.

The regional district’s share is $853,440.

by Pete McIntyre
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