An inspection of the treated sewage discharge line in the river valley Friday confirmed the introduced flow at the lagoons is matching what is coming out in the manholes at the Fraser River.
Crews have been working to repair damage caused by flooding in April that resulted in effluent getting into Williams Lake River which eventually empties into the Fraser.
“This gives us confidence that the vast majority, if not all the effluent, will be making it to the Fraser,” Gary Muraca, the city’s director of municipal services, told the Tribune.
The only way to confirm all the effluent is getting to the Fraser River is through a video inspection of the discharge line, which will start on Monday.
READ MORE: Williams Lake river valley remains closed to public, flooding repairs continue
If, however, the water velocity of Williams Lake River falls below 11.3 cubic metres per second there is a concern that discharging effluent into the river could start harming fish and aquatic vegetation, Muraca said, noting a recent study increased the required river velocity from 8.9 cubic metres per second.
If the velocity does start to drop due to warmer weather and lack of rain, the discharge line will be hooked up immediately, he added.
When asked why it isn’t now, he said because they wouldn’t be able to do the video inspection. It is best to be able to do the inspection in a dry pipe.
“We are happy and proud of the work all the contractors and consultants have done in the field to help us avoid a potential environmental issue,” he added.
Mayor Walt Cobb said when he got word from the crew in the river valley that things have gone quite well in the last couple of days he was pleased.
“It is great to hear that very shortly we will be able to have our outfall line secured to the Fraser River. They are in the process now of doing a scope to find out if there are any leaks in the line,” Cobb said.
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