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Duteau filtration could be abandoned

GVAC will apply for a $10,000 provincial grant for an ultraviolet treatment and air scrubbing pilot project.

The contentious issue of filtration on the Duteau Creek water treatment plant could eventually be shelved.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee will apply for a $10,000 provincial grant for an ultraviolet treatment and air scrubbing pilot project.

“We’re trying to find a way to defer filtration,” said director Bob Spiers.

A peer review of the Duteau Creek plant stated, “the addition of filtration process may provide only marginal benefits in terms of water quality improvement.”

The Interior Health Authority and the provincial government have been pushing for filtration as a way of reducing the impact of water-based illness.

Dale McTaggart, general manager of engineering, says ultraviolet treatment can remove giardia and cryptosporidium.

“If we can make this work for 20 years, there may be other technologies than filtration,” he said.

Filtration could range from $18 to $36 million, while an ultraviolet treatment and air scrubbing facility would range from $8 to $10 million.

The pilot project’s total price tag would be $40,000. If the grant isn’t successful, the project will still proceed.