VERNON – Work to reclaim a Vernon landfill is getting help from an interesting source. The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) is using biosolids or treated sewage to help them turn the Pottery Road Landfill site into a green space.
Crews will be putting a final cap on the site that has been out of operation for almost three decades.
“That means on top of the garbage there we are putting a clay layer and then we are putting a soil layer and then the top soil layer and on that we will plant grass,” says Nicole Kohnert who manages regional engineering services for RDNO.
The top soil will be made out of compost, soil and biosolids trucked in from Metro Vancouver.
Kohnert explains that biosolids are a byproduct of the waste water treatment process.
“It’s highly treated waste water from our homes and our businesses,” says Kohnert.
RDNO is hoping the biosolids will help grass sprout on the former landfill site.
“Biosolids are highly nutrient rich so they will assist with the growth of the grass. It is a good partnership with Metro Vancouver because they need to get rid of their waste product and they would like to make it into a resource for other municipalities,” Kohnert says.
“Metro Vancouver has been operating this type of system for a very long time and they have very good controls,” she adds. “We just want to make sure that the public knows that we are being very careful with this material and we certainly don’t expect it to be a problem.”
Kohnert hopes to be planting grass by next May.
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