A private Vernon water utility experiencing some challenges wants to get out of the business.
The owner of Claremont Utilities, which serves about 96 customers in the Longacre Drive area, is urging the Regional District of North Okanagan to take the assets over.
“We are making progress. I’m much more optimistic,” said Grant Craig, who lives in Maple Ridge.
Water is obtained from an artesian well and a boil water notice was recently initiated because of high coliform counts.
“Sometimes it comes back clean and then the next week, you get a high coliform count in one area of the system,” said Craig.
Chlorination has occurred and testing is now underway to see if the Interior Health Authority will approve lifting the notice.
Craig, the owner since the late 1970s, wants to dispose of the utility so he can retire.
There is also the fact that the utility was built in 1969/70.
“If the system remains as is, the upgrades the Ministry of Environment wants will cost millions of dollars,” said Craig, adding that private utilities are not eligible for senior government grants.
He also points out that there is a new water system for the City of Vernon-owned Hesperia lands close by and Claremont customers could possibly connect to it.
RDNO officials say they are aware of the request to absorb the Claremont utility.
“We’re not pushing away but we need to protect our existing utility customers,” said Dale McTaggart, engineering general manager.
“We don’t want them to incur expenses to take it over.”
RDNO has asked Claremont for an engineering study and then the private utility would have to do any upgrades.
Among the issues of concern are the size of the underground pipes and fire hydrants.
“If they pay to fix it up to our standards and then pay to connect to our system, I could see us possibly taking it over,” said McTaggart.
