Kelowna Wastewater Treatment Plant The Lake Country region has turned to Kelowna to help solve its sewage disposal problem. An agreement between the two municipalities will see Lake Country send its treated sewage – the water that leaves its sewage treatment system – to Kelowna at a cost of 20 cents per cubic meter over the next 10 years. Kelowna Utilities Director Kevin Van Vliet, during a presentation to city council Monday, says Lake Country is injecting its wastewater into the ground and states the facility is operating at capacity. “We’re committed to taking part of their excess wastewater for up to 10 years while they figure out what their long-term plan will be,” Van Vliet said. “It gives us some benefit because the liquid they give us is already treated, it’s actually quite dilute.” The continuous flow of sewage through pipes in the northern end of the city will also help control an odor problem in that area of ​​the city. The city has also entered into a long-term agreement with the Okanagan Indian Band to provide water and sewer services on OKIB lands. Van Vliet says these agreements will help keep short-term increases in wastewater to a minimum. It proposed an increase of 91 cents per month per household for 2023. Data from other municipalities across the province show city residents pay some of the lowest sewer rates. Kelowna residents pay about $23 a month compared to $80 in Penticton and Surrey. He says these rates will not be sustainable in the long term as more money will be required to renew the system. Van Vliet says the city has also avoided a multimillion-dollar outlay for a digester, a facility that cuts solids in half through chemical or biological reactions. With the composting facility the city shares with Vernon on Commonage Road reaching capacity, Van Vliet says several mine reclamation projects are looking for organic material with a few more likely to come in the near future. Van Vliet says that allowed the city to put off a digester, estimated to cost about $100 million, for about 10 years.