On Friday, the District of West Kelowna announced that construction had begun on a $3.5-million project at the Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will expand the outfall into Okanagan Lake.
The new outfall line will go from the plant, crossing Whitworth Road and through the City of West Kelowna’s Pebble Beach Park, extending offshore approximately 440 metres into Okanagan Lake.
Substantial completion of project is expected by May 2018. The project will install a 900 millimetre diameter outfall pipe while maintaining the existing outfall. Elements involved in the construction include:
- A valve chamber.
- A concrete sump connected to the UV building.
- 310 metres of 900 millimetre pipe from WRWWTP to Okanagan Lake.
- 130 metres of 900 millimetre pipe in the foreshore of Okanagan Lake installed through horizontal directional drilling.
- 270 millimetre of 900 millimetre pipe and diffuser section submerged on the bottom of Okanagan Lake.
The project’s contractor is Kelsey Pipelines Ltd. Construction will run through the end of March between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm daily and requires the closure of Pebble Beach Park for the duration of the construction. Pedestrians and vehicles should be aware and obey traffic control in this area.
According to the District’s website, “the plant provides wastewater treatment for about 42,000 people with a nominal hydraulic capacity of 16,800 cubic meters per day.” The plant operates a secondary treatment, Westbank Process, based on the 3-Stage Bardenpho process but with provisions for denitrification of return activated sludge upstream of the anaerobic zone. “Each bioreactor feeds a dedicated secondary clarifier,” and there is a tertiary Ultra Violet disinfection process.
The outfall expansion project will result in increased efficiency and operation of the plant located off Gellatly Road. It treats approximately 10-million litres of wastewater each day from the City of West Kelowna, District of Peachland, and Westbank First Nation Reserves #9 and #10.
More details can be found on the District’s website.
