Wastewater treatment plant treated to upgrades

Upgrades on the wastewater treatment plant began this month to help it run more efficiently during peak times. As visitors pour into Sun Peaks during December and January, the equalization tank at the plant reaches capacity, which causes poor performance, increasing maintenance and cleaning costs.

Two phases of upgrades are needed to expand the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity during the winter months. The first phase, which started after council approved the project, will cost $400,000 and increases the capacity of the equalization tank, a concrete pool which holds untreated wastewater, from 50 cubic meters to 130 cubic meters. The second phase is slated to come to council for approval in 2024.

Phase one will use existing infrastructure to increase the tank’s capacity by changing the pipe configuration to allow more storage, Clint Burton, director of infrastructure for Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM), told SPIN. 

“We will be adding 80 cubic metres, and we’re not going to build too much this year to make that happen,” Burton said.“It’s mostly using the infrastructure we have and changing some of the orientation of the valves and pipes.”

He noted construction won’t impact residents or businesses using water.

While reconfiguring the pipes will reduce the number of times the plant reaches capacity, it won’t eliminate it. If approved, the second phase would increase storage capacity to 450 cubic meters in total by building a second tank. 

TRUE Consultants, the engineering firm hired for the project, recommends building another equalization tank beside the existing one with pipes between the two to keep the tanks from filling during the winter months.

The second phase would cost $1.1 million, and SPMRM is exploring grants to help fund the project. 

While the work will help process wastewater in the short term, it won’t be enough to deal with expected future growth but it is a stepping stone to future projects at the plant, according to Burton.

A longer-term solution will be dependent on provincial permitting, Burton explained. It would require SPMRM to build a larger effluent pond, where treated wastewater enters, and add another rapid infiltration trench, where treated wastewater goes before discharge.