Wastewater
The Works and Utilities Department is responsible for collecting wastewater from approximately 3146 sewer connections and treating the wastewater to Ministry of Environment regulated standards for safe discharge into Okanagan Lake via a deep lake outfall pipeline. With approximately 55 kilometres of sewer mains, 5 lift stations, over 700 manholes, and a Wastewater Treatment Plant, staff follow strict operating procedures to ensure compliance with Operating Certificate requirements.
The operation and maintenance duties are jointly shared by the Works Division and the Wastewater Division as follows:
Works Division
- Sewer main flushing
- Lift station cleaning
- Sludge hauling to the Landfill
- Service installations and repairs
Wastewater Division
- Wastewater treatment
- Lift station repairs and maintenance
- Chlorination
- Wastewater testing
- Sani-dump
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Summerland's Wastewater Treatment Plant uses a biological nutrient removal process to treat the waste water so that it can be disposed of into Okanagan Lake. The following is a simplified schematic of the treatment process. Click here for a more detailed WWTP Process Flow Chart (18KB PDF). A summary of the process is outlined below.