Upgrades to the city's Regional Compost Facility are going to cost a lot more than expected.
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August 03, 2018 - 3:30 PM
VERNON - Provincially mandated upgrades to Vernon's wastewater treatment plant are set to cost the city almost 60 per cent more than they budgeted for.
City of Vernon spokesperson Nick Nilsen said upgrades to the city's Regional Compost Facility had been estimated at $500,000 but now looked to cost $800,000.
The increase is set to cost Vernon roughly $270,000 instead of the $170,000 as was previously estimated. The cost is shared between the cities of Vernon and Kelowna with Vernon paying one-third and Kelowna picking up the tab for the remaining two-thirds.
Nilsen said the upgrades were essential for the plant to conform to new provincial environmental laws and the extra cash would come out of an operating reserve fund.
The work - which involves lining a channel and holding pond to make them impermeable - is set to be complete by Oct. 31, but Nilsen said the city will probably seek an extension from the province.
The plant, located on the outskirts of Vernon, opened in 2006 as a joint venture between the cities of Vernon and Kelowna and composts wastewater into a plant biosolid material called Ogogrow, that is then sold to as a safe soil conditioner.
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