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Compost facility talks start at Summerland council

Summerland council will get its first chance to discuss the possibility of a regional compost facility being located at its landfill later this month.
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Summerland council will get its first chance to discuss the possibility of a regional compost facility operating at its landfill. The issue will arise at the Aug. 28 council meeting.

Summerland council will get its first chance to discuss the possibility of a regional compost facility being located at its landfill later this month.

The Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen submitted a formal letter to the District of Summerland asking for an access agreement to gain entry to lands to conduct further testing.

It’s expected Summerland council will discuss the request at the Aug. 28 meeting.

The facility will compost all food waste, wastewater treatment sludge, yard waste and wood waste from the region.

At Thursday’s RDOS meeting directors agreed to authorize $63,000 be used on testing and public consultation if Summerland council approved the access request.

The money will be taken from the Solid Waste Management Plan Operational Reserve.

Director Toni Boot, councillor from Summerland, asked if the $63,000 authorization might be a “little premature” as her council had not yet discussed the issue.

“If we don’t get an access agreement we don’t spend the money,” said Bill Newell, CAO of the RDOS.

Tom Siddon, director for Area D, questioned the need for an alternative site to be identified.

A property owned by a Penticton Indian Band locatee in Marron Valley, located near Area D, was proposed as the alternative site at the Aug. 3 RDOS meeting. Siddon came out strong against the site being considered for the facility.

Hundreds of letters were received from the public outlining concerns including leachate, transportation and odour.

Directors unanimously voted against the site being used as an alternative.

Siddon noted directors suggested several alternate sites be explored including Campbell Mountain landfill, Brenda Mines and other private property.

“If this is urgently important to get this going we should be looking up a backup,” he said.

Newell said if Summerland didn’t go ahead staff would go back and look at the properties on the short list. Included on the list was Marron Valley, Summerland Landfill, an undisclosed private site, Oliver Landfill, Campbell Mountain Landfill and Penticton Advanced Wastewater Plant.

“We’ve done seven years of studying,” Newell said. “We have a number of sites identified if Summerland is not an option we will go to the next one on the list.”

Director Peter Waterman, mayor of Summerland, said he appreciated Siddon’s comments to consider choosing an alternate site but also thought it was “premature.”

A need for a regional compost facility was identified in the 2012 Solid Waste Management Plan. Staff have been working since then to determine feasible sites.