Back to drawing boards on Black Pines water system

NEWS/ BLACK PINES — The regional district was sent back to the drawing boards Wednesday night after residents rejected a single-option solution to community water problems.

After several failed attempts to fix the existing system, Thompson Nicola Regional District staff proposed a new intake and treatment system with a $1,345,000 price tag, of which residents would pay $456,000 if federal grant money is available.

That would mean a cost of just under $11,000 for each of the 42 households on the system, or about $1,000 a year added to taxes for 20 years.

But residents said there’s a “trust factor” based on past failures to solve the problem, and wanted more options. While some residents were concerned about the proposed costs, others said they’d be willing to pay more if they were sure there would be no more boil-water advisories.

TNRD environmental services director Peter Hughes agreed to study the possibility of moving the North Thompson intake from the south end of the community to the north end, where it’s believed river turbidity would be less pronounced.

Residents also asked whether individual homes could opt out of the system altogether.

Hughes said he’d arrange for another meeting in September or October.