By Times Staff
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District board of directors has approved spend up to $80,000 to upgrade the septage receiving station in Clearwater.
The decision took place during the board’s Sept. 21 meeting.
The money will come in equal shares from Electoral Area “A” (Wells Gray Country) and Electoral Area “O” (Lower North Thompson) in Federal Gas Tax – Community Works Fund revenues.
Earlier this year the TNRD received confirmation of $232,400 in funding from the Canada-British Columbia Clean Water and Wastewater Fund to install an equalization basin at the Clearwater septage receiving station.
The total project cost was estimated at $280,000. The original project design involved the installation of a tank beside the existing tank with gravity inlet and outlets.
READ MORE: Septage receiving facility now complete
In working through the pre-engineering process the scope of the final design evolved and a number of required elements were identified. These elements will contribute to system capacity and efficiency.
District of Clearwater has approved contributing up to $40,000 in Federal Gas Tax funds to support the improvement project.
As the septage receiving station serves the entire North Thompson Valley, Wells Gray Country director Carol Schaffer and Lower North Thompson director Bill Kershaw agreed to support the expanded project design by matching the District of Clearwater contribution with their own Federal Gas Tax funding.
The facility is located next to District of Clearwater’s sewage lagoon on the Flats in Clearwater and began operation in early 2016.
Before that, sludge pumped from septic tanks was dumped into pits located at the Clearwater and Barriere landfills, as well as at the Blue River transfer station.
Having a facility to receive septic tank sludge is important because nearly all residents in the North Thompson Valley are not on septic systems.
Board okays money for provincial fairs
The Board agreed to provide funding to both the British Columbia Agricultural Exposition and the Provincial Winter Fair, both 4-H events, in the amount of $2,500 for each event.
The decision comes after both organizations presented to the Board at the Aug. 17 meeting.
The funding comes with the proviso that each group must include information detailing 4-H participation in the previous year’s event in order to be eligible for any future funding.
The British Columbia Agricultural Exposition took place this year from Sept. 22 to 25 at the North Thompson Agriplex in Barriere.
READ MORE: Provincial Winter Fair factions face off in court
The Provincial Winter Fair took place from Sept. 22 to 25 in Kamloops at the Circle Creek Ranch and Equestrian Centre.
The Provincial Winter Fair was started by the Kamloops Exhibition Association (KXA) in 1939 and it operated for seven decades in Kamloops. After the KXA lost its home at Mount Paul Industrial Park, the fair was moved to the North Thompson Agriplex in Barriere in 2011.
In 2016 the fair was the subject of a lawsuit between rival groups, each of which claimed it was the rightful successor to hold the Provincinal Winter Fair.
Separate winter fairs were held last year and this, one in Barriere, the other in Kamloops.
