High flows on Duteau Creek in Lumby area. (File photo/Vernon Matters)

By Pete McIntyre

high priority

Greater Vernon water project gets support, despite lack of federal grant

Mar 7, 2022 | 5:00 AM

A local water project that’s been talked about for years, is now taking on more priority.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has approved using $2 million in reserve funds to allow design work to start on the Headgates Spillway Improvement Project.The committee’s recommendation still needs to be approved by the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) board to proceed.

The project is estimated to cost $5.2 million and the original plan was to provide $3.1 million from RDNO and $2.08 million from the federal government. A grant for 40 per cent of the cost was applied for last November, but so far, there has been no word from Ottawa if it will be successful.

GVAC chair Akbal Mund said the project would raise the level of one of the main reservoirs on the Duteau Creek system, allowing more water to be stored for use during drier periods, and preventing a dam breach.

“It’s important for all the residents,” Mund told Vernon Matters.

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RDNO staff say the project is considered high priority based on the impact to the community and safety to downstream residents.

“Greater Vernon Water has already experienced high flows at this site in 2013 and extreme flows in 2017 causing an emergency operations centre to be opened,” said Zee Marcolin, general manager of utilities for RDNO in a report to the board. “If this dam is breached, there is a potential that it could result in crop lost [sic] for the entire agricultural community for one to two years as all water would be needed to supply basic domestic needs while the dam is being fixed.”

Marcolin added if the dam was offline in the summer, all of Greater Vernon Water would likely experience extreme restrictions until the dam was rebuilt, impacting the entire community.

RDNO staff would like to tender the project as soon as possible due to a potential reduction in bidding contractors due to major projects continuing on provincial highways and the high level of operational planning that is required.

Notification to agricultural customers must be provided in March as the project may impact those that require late turn off (i.e. request irrigation water to be turned off later than Sept. 15th) as this may impact their planting and crop types.