The wastewater lagoon in Revelstoke will soon be equipped with new aeration equipment, an attempt to mitigate the smells coming from the lagoon.
At a special council meeting on May 28, council approved a contract with Triplepoint Water technologies at a cost of approximately $210,000, with the total project expected to come in at around $240,000.
Since the new machines are more efficient, city staff expect to see project payback after 7-8 years of the reduced energy costs.
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In the report to council city staff outlined the dilemma, do they spend the money to upgrade the system now despite the need for a complete system overhaul in about five years? Or do they wait?
Risks outlined in the report include the lack of choice in vendors as there was no RFP sent out, that the energy savings may not be as good as expected and there may be a long payback period on the investment, that the installation may be more costly due to unforeseen issues and that it may not improve the odour.
The project comes in around $40,000 more than council set aside to address the problem, so they had to approve the project as well as the budget change at the special council meeting–they voted unanimously in favour.
Triplepoint will be installing the new equipment in approximately five weeks. City staff expect to install the new equipment in rows as the old equipment is removed, allowing for continued use of pond.
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jocelyn.doll@revelstokereview.com
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