The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is hosting an open house event at the Okanagan Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) (300 Rail Road, Okanagan Falls) on Tuesday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m..
The event features guided tours of the following areas:
“The WWTP is a state-of-the-art facility that has been processing wastewater since 2013,” says RDOS Chair Mark Pendergraft. “The commissioning of the polishing wetland in 2022 provides opportunities for innovation using natural ecosystem processes to further improve the quality of the discharge water.”
The WWTP is an advanced tertiary treatment plant that takes in sewage effluent, treats, and then creates an effluent discharge (water) that meets Canadian drinking water standards and sludge or biosolids. The effluent goes into the wetlands, which provide further polishing by removing phosphorus and metals while creating important habitat in one of Canada’s most sensitive areas.
The biosolids are then mixed with prunings, yard and wood waste, composted, and turned into a solid additive. Virtually everything the WWTP receives is reused or recycled. Even the heat from the effluent is used to heat the plant.
For further information, please visit the RDOS website or call the RDOS at 250-492-0237.