The Town of Osoyoos operates and maintains a wastewater collection and treatment system that safely collects wastewater from homes and businesses, treats it, and allows treated water to be reused within the community.
Wastewater includes water that goes down toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs and other household and business drains connected to the sanitary sewer system.
Osoyoos' wastewater system is made up of two main components: the sanitary collection system and the wastewater treatment system.
Wastewater from homes and businesses enters the Town's sanitary sewer network and travels through a combination of gravity mains, forcemains and lift stations. The system includes approximately:
- 51.1 kilometres of gravity sewer mains
- 18.1 kilometres of sewer forcemains
- 21 lift stations
Gravity mains allow wastewater to flow naturally downhill. Where this is not possible, lift stations pump wastewater through pressurized pipes called forcemains.
Wastewater is ultimately directed to the Town's Main Wastewater Pumping Station, where it passes through an initial screening process before being pumped to the wastewater treatment facility.
Maintaining the Sewer System
The Town regularly operates, inspects and maintains wastewater infrastructure to keep the system functioning properly. Like other municipal infrastructure, sewer pipes, pumps and other components have a limited service life and eventually require rehabilitation or replacement.
The Town's 2023 Sanitary System Infrastructure Plan provides a long-term framework for managing this infrastructure. The plan evaluates the condition and capacity of the sanitary collection system and identifies future maintenance, replacement and capital projects.
Planning ahead helps the Town:
- Maintain reliable wastewater service
- Replace aging infrastructure
- Address system capacity
- Prepare for future population growth and development
- Prioritize infrastructure investments
- Plan for long-term costs