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South Okanagan Photos

Mayor to fly out – Update

Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay now confirmed for Oct 22 meeting in Ottawa with Mayor Hovanes

Quote Richard Cannings MP “I thought siphon project too small for Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund but Ron says they’ve been getting some traction on that front.”

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Oliver Mayor Ron will fly to the nation’s capital Sunday in an effort to obtain funding from the Liberal Government to complete the fix of a broken syphon at Gallagher Lake.

At Monday’s council meeting it was announced that a meeting had been arranged by local MP Richard Cannings.

Oliver Daily News reached out to Cannings at his Ottawa apartment.

Cannings, in Ottawa says:

“No news on this end other than the meeting with Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne
Trying to get the Agriculture Minister MacAuley there too ….but no word yet.” (update above)
The BC government has contributed more than half of the money to the $10 million fix. The Town of Oliver is hoping for a substantial federal contribution and will have to finance the remainder.
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Water Utility – Town of Oliver is a complex system of an open/closed canal/syphon arrangement that is 20 kms long from MacIntrye Bluff to Road 22.

5200 acres of farmland are irrigated on both sides of the valley floor west and east of the Okanagan River. The utility also supplies potable water to 2400 residential units (Town and Area C RDOS).

In January 2016 a rock slide crushed the underground syphon at Gallagher Lake. It was fixed quickly for the summer irrigation season but then the work of finding a permanent solution took place. Several experts studied the situation with a report from True Consulting recommending a 8 foot pipe to be constructed along Highway 97 – to get as far a way from the rocks and slides at the bluff behind.