City of Castlegar Acknowledges Unpleasant Odours
The City of Castlegar acknowledges unpleasant odours coming from wastewater treatment facilities in the north and south end of the City.
The City owns and operates a dozen lift stations and roughly 75 kilometres of sewer pipe that collects wastewater and sends it to wastewater treatment facilities. Sewage from the north end of town is conveyed to the North Lagoons on the north side of the Columbia River, and sewage from the south side is conveyed to the South Sewage Treatment Plant in the Woodland Park neighbourhood. Wastewater is treated at these locations before being discharged to the Columbia River.
While odours at wastewater treatment facilities are normal at this time of year as temperatures increase, they are more noticeable this year than in the past. This is for two reasons:
- The City recently installed Geotubes at the South Sewage Treatment Plant for enhanced sludge dewatering and biosolids storage. A backlog of materials is currently being processed, creating additional odours. Once the old material is processed, the City expects a reduction in odours.
- The North Lagoons have been receiving and processing more material than usual over the last few months and the aeration system has not been functioning at 100 per cent.
The City expects a reduction in odours from both locations within the next few weeks.