Revelstokians should take note that things may start to smell a little less pleasant around Industrial Park for the next week or so, as the city says an important step is underway for its wastewater plant upgrades.
The City of Revelstoke shared on social media Wednesday, July 23, that "residents may start to notice an... unfavourable scent in the air" for the coming days as one of the liquid waste lagoons is drained.
The second lagoon will be filled with the first lagoon's contents, creating space for the city's $23.6-million undertaking with Chandos Construction LP to spend three years modernizing the 1970s-built wastewater treatment plant into a semi-mechanical facility.
"Unfortunately, the result is that the remaining buildup of sludge and solid waste has been exposed," the city said. "The good news is that the odours will be substantially reduced once the upgrades are complete!"
Chandos intends to clear the sludge between Monday, July 28, and Friday, Aug. 1, which "may cause odour levels to fluctuate," the city added (and said it apologizes for).
Residents are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed whenever possible to minimize the smell at home and to recreate elsewhere in the community beyond Industrial Park.
Following provincial approval of the upgrades earlier in July, public works director Steve Black told Black Press Media by email that design and engineering work is already complete, with the procurement of materials and construction up next.
Construction will happen up to six days per week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and span earthworks, civil site works, new lagoon lining, backfilling, mechanical and electrical work, BC Hydro power upgrades, commissioning and startup, Black said. Occasionally, extra time-sensitive tasks such as larger concrete pours may require additional work hours.
While "there may be odours during construction," he said, "we do not anticipate the issues to be any worse than has been recorded over the last 10 years," with the added promise of "significant reduction in odours once the project is completed."
"This expansion is designed to meet current environmental regulations, provide wastewater treatment for the growth expected in the recently adopted Official Community Plan (OCP), and has been configured to allow for future expansion," Black said.
He has estimated that these upgrades will allow the plant to sustain Revelstoke's wastewater needs for another 20 years. However, he said further expansion could be needed farther down the road if growth in the city slows below OCP projections, or conversely, it may become necessary sooner if growth speeds up.
Chandos has previously performed wastewater upgrades for Lloydminster, Coaldale and Rocky Mountain House, Alta., as well Squamish, Saskatoon and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, according to Black.
The city added that a construction camera will be installed in the next couple of weeks at the wastewater plant, allowing residents to follow the work in real time.