City of Kamloops still exploring options for biosolids

Sep 25, 2018 | 5:08 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a subject that seems to have quite a stink on it these days: biosolids. At Tuesday’s council meeting, the city’s Biosolids Management Stakeholder Committee presented council with an update on the work they’re doing to explore the many options that exist in dealing with the excess of material that results from the sewage treatment process.

The committee was formed to examine the possible uses for the 12,500 tonnes of biosolids that are produced annually at the Sewage Treatment Centre. Prior to 2011, the material was sent to the Cinnamon Ridge Compost Facility, but when the Treatment Centre was upgraded, the city’s biosolids use changed.

“Current;y, we’re producing biosolids, and we’re stockpiling them at our Sewage Treatment Centre,” City Civic Operations Director Jen Fretz explained. “We don’t have an unlimited supply of space to stockpile material, so we need to find a use for those biosolids.”

The Committee is currently looking at a number of new solutions for using the surplus biosolids, as well as possibly upgrading their processing practices and facilities. Fretz says it’s a subject that tends to get lots of attention from the public.

“Right now, I think there’s lots of misinformation out there,” Fretz says. “I think what we need to do is as the City of Kamloops is really get out and educate people about what biosolids are and the beneficial uses they have… if treated properly, biosolids can be used as a resource, and that’s what we’d like to do.”