-Wells advises residents to approach new council-

OSOYOOS TIMES-October 29, 2008-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

A breath of new life has been given to the possibility of the Town of Osoyoos taking over the Osoyoos Irrigation District-East Bench's troubled water system.
At a special meeting at the Osoyoos Legion on Oct. 23 where representatives of Interior Health, the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and Kelowna's Associated Engineering discussed the system's future with district residents, Osoyoos councillor and mayoral candidate Stu Wells stood up and advised the roughly 50 people in attendance to approach the town again after the November municipal election.
The current council has turned down the district's request in the past to assume control of the water system partly because they are already responsible for rural water systems 8 and 9 on Osoyoos Lake's northwest shore.
The Town has also said its municipal water system does not have the reserve capacity to handle the district's needs.
But Wells said there may be a change in thinking with a new mayor and council.
The district has been told its 40-year-old domestic water system must be upgraded to meet drinking water standards introduced by Interior Health in 2004.
On an almost-constant boil-water notice, the district has had problems with E. coli bacteria being present in the water system after chlorinators have failed.
It approached the RDOS in 2006 about taking over the system since the required upgrades would cost millions of dollars.
The district is not eligible for provincial assistance but the RDOS is eligible for infrastructure grants that could potentially cover two-thirds of the upgrade costs.
The RDOS commissioned a cost/benefit review from Associated Engineering on what would be necessary for a takeover of the district's water system.
The review presented five options for upgrading the system including twinning some or all of the district's irrigation and potable water lines, using groundwater from aquifers in the area, treating all lake water coming into the system or having point-of-entry treatment systems at the district's 140 domestic connections.
The final option was for the Town to take over the system.
The meeting was a chance for district residents to learn about and discuss the options.
Rod MacLean, a project manager with Associated Engineering, said that in his opinion, the groundwater option is the way to go, but only if there is enough water beneath the district.
Andrew Reeder, engineering services manager for the RDOS, said he also prefers the groundwater optionrnMacLean said treating all lake water coming into the district would have the highest capital cost at $10 million while the point-of-entry option would have the lowest capital cost at roughly $1.9 million.
The groundwater option would have a capital cost of more than $3.6 million.
But it would have the lowest annual operating and maintenance costs at roughly $20,466 and would also carry the second lowest total annual cost per lot at $768.
Without a provincial infrastructure grant, however, that cost could be as high as $1,700 per year for each property owner MacLean said.
One district resident asked how long it would take the RDOS to secure a grant if they decide to take over the system.
Reeder said that depending on which option was chosen, it could take six months to get the grant, six months to design the upgrades and a year to build any new infrastructure.
In all, he said, it could take three years to get the upgrades off the ground.
One woman asked what the district should do in the meantime, especially when it comes to liability issues if someone becomes sick from the water.
We can't wait three years not to do something, she said.
Reeder said as long as the district was taking steps to fix the system, it is protecting itself to some degree from liability issues.
He added that if there is a change in attitude towards the district's situation by the Town following the election, the district should pursue that option.
When asked if the RDOS could still apply for an infrastructure grant if the Town takes over the system, Reeder said yes, as a Town-controlled system could be designated an extra-territorial service.rnOne man pointed out, however, that a Town takeover may be six or eight months away and may not happen.rnDistrict residents in attendance also asked questions about how fire flow would be incorporated into the upgrade options, whether the district would need RDOS construction permits to perform repairs and if legal action could be taken against the province.
District Chair Linda Lobb suggested holding another meeting next month just for residents to further address such concerns and discuss the upgrade options before any decision on a course of action is taken.
If the district does nothing, the province could put it in receivership and seize its assets.
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