The City of Kelowna is flushing out the idea of building and running its own sani-dump.

This despite a staff report suggesting the cost may not be worth it.

"I'm looking at it from the tourism perspective,香蕉视频直播� Councillor Luke Stack said at council香蕉视频直播檚 May 5 meeting. 香蕉视频直播淚f I drove into a city with an RV, I would expect there would be somewhere in that area that I could get fresh water, and get rid of grey water, etc.香蕉视频直播�

The staff report, requested by council last June, outlines high costs and uncertain demand. The issue was raised amid concerns about the limited number of places for RV owners to legally and safely dispose of their wastewater in the city, and the potential impact that could have on tourism.

Currently, there are no municipally owned RV dump stations in Kelowna. The only public option within city limits is a private sani-dump located at the Shell gas station on Highway 33. There are eight licensed agri-tourism RV campgrounds in the Kelowna area, seven of which advertise on-site sanitary services, according to the staff report.

香蕉视频直播淚 think that there is a need out there,香蕉视频直播� Coun. Charlie Hodge noted. 香蕉视频直播淚 am surprised at the low number of spots available.香蕉视频直播� 

While supportive of the city looking at the feasibility of operating a sani-dump, Coun. Loyal Wooldridge pointed out that it will come at a cost.

香蕉视频直播淎t the end of the day we're here to serve the public and this is definitely something that's being requested, just mindful that there will be a capital cost and the likelihood of seeing costs recovered will be low.香蕉视频直播�

Staff told council that a permanent site with basic features would cost anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000 to build. Annual operating expenses are estimated at $15,000. Although user fees could potentially cover ongoing maintenance, staff say the upfront construction costs would likely never be recouped. They also caution that charging a fee could make the facility less appealing to tourists.

Staff also reached out to local businesses to see if there might be interest in partnering with the city, but there were no takers.

It was suggested that a facility might be established at the Glenmore landfill. However, staff pointed out that the surrounding lands are within the Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR), and there is a process through the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to unlock those lands. 

香蕉视频直播淲e do have some private RV campgrounds on the ALR, but their facilities are only available for guests,香蕉视频直播� Coun. Ron Cannan noted. 香蕉视频直播淪o I think working with the ALC we should be able to look at whether it香蕉视频直播檚 the landfill (possible site).香蕉视频直播�

Cannan added that he knows of two private individuals who might be willing to partner of the city to build and operate a facility.

Staff reviewed about a dozen potential city-owned sites that could technically support a sani-dump. However, the 10-year capital plan and 2025 capital budget do not include a program that is aligned with developing such a facility.

Council directed staff to further investigate the feasibility of a city owned and operated facility.

香蕉视频直播淭here is a cost associated with that, but if council would like to utilize that tool and create a service and deliver to our our community, the path is through the budget process,香蕉视频直播� City Manager Doug Gilchrist said.