Work underway to prevent floods at the Water Reclamation Centre

Crews are taking action to reduce the risk of flooding events contaminating Vernon’s water.

A city staff report said workers have been on site at the Vernon Water Reclamation Centre (VWRC) off 25th Avenue to address concerns at Vernon Creek, the main one being erosion of the bank that has exposed an abandoned storm drain.

So far, crews have been focusing on stabilizing the north bank of the creek, but have a number of other tasks to do at the site. Those include reinforcing the creek bank using riparian armor, planting native species to restore the ecosystem, create a small floodplain to accommodate larger flow events, remove obstructive tree branches, relocate the fencing around the VWRC property, and decommission the exposed storm main.

The necessary work at this site was first identified in 2023 in order to reduce the risk of water breaching the branks and contaminating the VWRC.