Council nixes proposal for composting plant
Odours, traffic concerns noted in letters, petitions presented Monday
SUMMERLAND — Summerland Council has resoundingly rejected the regional district’s proposal to locate a compost facility at the Summerland landfill.
A standing room only crowd filled council chambers Monday to hear the decision.
In a 6-1 vote, council voted in favour of a resolution made by Coun. Richard Barkwill to inform the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen that Summerland is not interested in investigating the possibility further.
Mayor Peter Waterman opposed the motion.
At the Aug. 28 council meeting the staff recommendation to grant RDOS authority to access the landfill in order to conduct technical studies and to execute an access agreement was tabled until all six councillors could be present.
Coun. Erin Carlson, recently returned from maternity leave, asked, “What is it the RDOS would be testing and would it answer the questions about odour and hydrology?”
Waterman has consistently supported the RDOS proposal repeatedly saying that he sees it as an opportunity to improve operations of the landfill, move toward a full recycle program and have someone else pay for upgrades including road improvements.
Barkwill said Monday that he was not at all convinced that RDOS could not find a better site and that the site need not be located at a landfill.
“I think there has to be other properties available elsewhere,” said Coun. Janet Peake.
“We have to know what else is feasible. What is available to fix our problems (at the landfill). It would have been better if we’d already done all that work,” said Coun. Doug Holmes.
Coun. Erin Trainer said, “I think the RDOS has more work to do. I cannot support this.”
Barkwill also said the site should have a “social license,” referring to the intense opposition in the community to the proposal.
Included in the agenda package for Monday’s meeting were 218 pages filled with 141 letters and emails from residents who overwhelmingly oppose the facility.
A petition bearing 554 signatures opposing the facility was presented to council Monday.
Primary concerns were the potential contamination of the municipality’s water supply, a large increase in truck traffic through residential, commercial and school zones, and odour associated with the facility.
“I do not think the RDOS opportunity is a Summerland opportunity. I do not believe travelling to any kind of consolidated compost and biosolids site should be through a community,” Peake said.
“Traffic is the real issue. There could be 100 trucks — 50 in and 50 out,” Holmes said.
Barkwill said that at the recent Union of British Columbia Municipalities meetings he and other councillors had visited a compost facility in Abbotsford located near farming and marijuana production operations, a much more appropriate site for a compost facility than the one proposed for Summerland.
Several councillors suggested that the facility be located a considerable distance from populated areas.
The possibly that it could also service the central and northern regions of the valley was also mentioned.
“This is an excellent opportunity to talk about waste management. With all the new developments in town we need a waste management policy,” Kathy Smith said at the end of the meeting.