The cause of that foul odour at Vernon’s Polson Park

VERNON – It should smell like the fresh outdoors, but instead Polson Park in Vernon has been wrinkling noses lately.

People are complaining about a foul, septic smell in the park, and Vernon city councillor Juliette Cunningham says she’s not only heard from community members about the problem, but experienced it firsthand.

“I walk on the boardwalk along there and it is significant sometimes. Even, actually sometimes driving by Polson mall on Highway 6… I’ve noticed it,” Cunningham says.

The odour could be coming from the North Okanagan Regional District’s sani-dump, located between the movie theatre and the Kal Tire office bordering the park, Cunningham says. The sani-dump has been around for years, but Cunningham says it was supposed to be designed to keep the smell down. It's generated a few complaints before, she says. 

In response to the concerns, Vernon council has requested a report from the regional district to find out if the operation has been acting up for some reason, and if it can be fixed.

“I just want to make sure if there is an operational issue, can it be addressed?” Cunningham says. “It’s becoming more noticeable, so it’s just a question to ask, because it is impacting users of the park and the boardwalk.”

She says the increased odour could be nothing more than changes in airflow, but hopes to find out for sure what’s causing the issue from the regional district.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.