Editor:
What is the plan for dealing with sewage in the District of Sechelt?
On Oct. 25, I went to a public meeting to find out. The Urban Systems company, which was hired (without tender), was paid approximately $70,000 by the DOS. Their proposal suggested a new biosolids treatment plant on lot L Dusty Road. The DOS paid approximately a half-million dollars for that property. There is also room on the 3.5 acres for a new full treatment plant sometime in the future.
Apparently Lot L was bought in 2009 because Lot K, which the District expropriated, then had to be given back because the land was unsuitable. (It cost the DOS approximately $125,000 for that error.)
The irony is that the Dusty Road Lot L site could become the sewage treatment plant for the DOS, but the people on the east side of the inlet are on septic systems. All the sewage would have to be pumped from the majority of homes in the west to the east. Seems ridiculous when the DOS owns vacant land just near the arena.
We also need to test these biosolids for heavy metals, toxic chemicals and E. coli, etc. There are differing opinions on whether we should be putting the broken down human fecal matter anywhere that could contaminate our ecosystem.
Apparently the 4.6 million funding acquired needs to be spent by March 2013. Let's get going on a transparent process that is financially sound and respects the environment and people of Sechelt. There is lots of land, and putting this plant right beside a neighbourhood that isn't even hooked up to the sewage system is a poor idea. Constructing new pipes underground all around the town for the eventual new treatment plant seems like something out of a bad horror movie.
We need a community-wide process to figure out what the best options are from an environmental and financial point of view. We need to get looking at new greener technologies, not just another stinky Ebbtide kind of system.
This council has shown its ability to change directions when needed. Hope-fully they will develop a smart long-term solution to sewage treatment. Other-wise, something is going to hit the fan.
Tella Sametz
Sechelt
