Photo: Contributed

A petition by the regional district has found the majority of property owners in the Swan Lake Corridor support a multimillion-dollar sewer service project.

The petition for the Regional District of North Okanagan's share of funding is one of many steps required to develop the North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery Project, a partnership between the RDNO, Township of Spallumcheen and the Okanagan Indian Band.

The bylaw will now be sent to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval.

With that approval, the RDNO will be able to establish a local service area and proceed with borrowing $5.2 million if the federal/provincial grant application for $24.3 million is approved. 

“It has taken us years to get to this stage, and the successful petition marks a huge milestone for the project,” said Bob Fleming, RDNO Area B Director. “It confirms that the community supports this project and brings us closer to making the North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery Project a reality.”

The RDNO petition had to pass two tests to achieve approval from the community: the owners of at least 50 per cent of the parcels liable to be charged for the proposed service had to sign the petition, and the signed petitions had to represent at least 50 per cent of the net taxable value of all land and improvements within the proposed service area. The petition passed both tests, with 63 per cent of the parcels, and 78 percent of the value voting in favour. 

The RDNO received petitions from around the world as multiple property owners in the service area sent in their support despite being out of the country.

The Swan Lake Corridor has long been identified as a future growth area in the RDNO’s Regional Growth Strategy and Official Community Plans once community sewer became available. 

The $36.9 million project would service RDNO Electoral Area B and C residences and businesses in the Swan Lake corridor, the Township of Spallumcheen’s south-east industrial area, and portions of Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) IR4 by providing wastewater collection and treatment facilities and a distribution network to distribute reclaimed water to area farmers.