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LETTER: Effluent would be dumped in Summerland

It isn’t fair to the small community of Summerland to bear the brunt of this kind of an operation
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Dear Editor:

Earth Day has come and gone and so have some of the good intentions people had to be worthy stewards of the globe.

Imagine this. Twenty-five trucks a day filled with effluent from wastewater treated sludge (we could think of another name for this), and all the kitchen scraps from restaurants and homes, driving past the school where your children attend, or (and here you must hold your nose to get the full effect), ending up being dumped downwind of your home.

This is what the Regional District has in mind for Summerland. They want to use the field next to our municipal landfill to dispose of effluent collected all the way from the American border to Peachland, haul it here, dump it, and hope Mother Nature can clean it up.

Reports from other communities where they do this are filled with comments about the stench of such operations. This is not to mention the possible dangers of truck traffic by Giant’s Head School, or the damage done to our roads by heavy trucks (and all of us in Summerland would have to pay for this), or the constant odour that is emitted, or the devaluation of property anywhere near the stink.

It isn’t fair to the small community of Summerland to bear the brunt of this kind of an operation. They will tell you that windrowing (turning over the material) will dissipate the smell, but every city and town from Richmond, to Ladysmith, to Kelowna, Nanaimo, Merritt, and Cranbrook will tell you it ain’t so.

Please attend the Open House on May 17 at the IOOF Hall and express your concern about keeping Summerland air as fresh as the breeze through our springtime apple blossoms.

Frank Martens

Summerland