No mussels is good news

Construction of a new outfall pipe at West Kelowna’s sewage plant may not be as costly as thought.

Divers inspecting the waters of Okanagan Lake at the end of Whitworth Road did not find any Rocky Mountain ridged mussels in the area.

Since the species is deemed to be at risk, there would have been a requirement by federal officials to move the mussels or redesign the construction process, either of which would have added considerably to the original $3.5-million cost.

“Some other species (no risk/not endangered) were found, and we’re awaiting approvals from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the province, where any other actions are required in order to proceed,” regional district spokesman Bruce Smith said Monday.

Last month, regional directors authorized an increase in the project budget to $4.7 million to accommodate the potential extra expense in resolving any concerns about the mussels.

The expanded budget was also sufficient for a different type of pipe construction — open trench rather than drilling — which is said to be necessary because of the nature of the lake bed in the area.

Work is already more than 40 per cent complete on the new outfall project. A new pipe is needed because the old one was failing in several places.