Proposed change in liquid waste dump fees for Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – Companies driving to Kamloops to take advantage of the low cost of liquid waste and wastewater sludge dumping may be soon out of luck as the city's utility services division looks to council for higher fees.

A report going to city council tomorrow, July 9, recommends the politicians approve higher tipping fees for the Mission Flats Road liquid waste disposal site and the Kamloops Sewage Treatment Centre.

Currently, the liquid portion of the waste goes to the Mission Flats Road site at a cost of $20.21 per cubic metre and the remaining sludge goes to the Kamloops Sewage Treatment Centre for $23.69 per cubic metre.

Those rates are low when compared to Penticton, which charges $36 per cubic metre and Metro Vancouver at $61.30 per cubic metre. Kamloops is looking at raising the rates to $50 per cubic metre at both sites.

After hours dumping at the sewage treatment centre is currently $116 plus the cost of the load, and if the bylaw gets approved, the after-hours fee would increase to $200.

Drivers hauling the liquid waste are required to present a manifest of what the waste is, where it was generated, and a contact name for the site where it was generated.

According to the report, a staff shortage at both locations doesn't allow reliable receiving and documentation for the trucks dumping waste.

If the amendments to the bylaw are approved, the revenue would be able to support a new full-time employee. The revenue from these dumpsites in 2018 totalled $273,245, and increasing the tipping fees would increase the annual revenue by approximately $109,298.

A full-time employee could be hired by 2020, with responsibilities at both locations and a salary of around $90,000, according to the report. The Mission Flats Road location has a free recreational vehicle dumpsite, which staff are concerned could be used to illegally dump wastewater. The full-time employee would be responsible for monitoring the Mission Flats Road site, checking the documentation at the sewage treatment centre, and potentially testing the liquid to ensure it is safe to dump.

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