By Steve Hubrecht
In recent years the rancid reek of Invermere’s sewage lagoons has unfortunately become as much a rite of spring in the Columbia Valley as finding the first crocus.
The two phenomenons – one pretty and one pungent – tend to happen at roughly the same time of year; even before the snow is fully gone, you start to see purple flowers springing up in the valley’s grasslands and open woods. Shortly thereafter you start hearing Invermere residents turning the air purple as they curse the smelly stench wafting up into the northern reaches of town from the lagoons down in the Athalmer industrial park.
This year is following much the same pattern. Last week the Pioneer featured a prairie crocus on its front cover. A few days later, during last week’s Invermere council meeting, local resident Matt Roberts pressed council to do something about the stinking lagoons.
Roberts explained that he’s lived on 13th Avenue for 20 years, and that in the first 12 or 13 years he never noticed any smell from the sewage lagoons. But for the past six or seven years, it seems to have gotten worse each spring.
“Even inside my house, with the doors and windows shut, I can smell it,” Roberts told councillors. “My whole house smells like a Port-a-Potty. My daughter’s room smells like methane … I’d really like to see more investment put into it. Something needs to be done sooner rather than later.”
Roberts said from what he understands, the district was trying a new aeration system for the lagoons last year. But, he pointed out, that didn’t seem to stop the spring stink.
Councillor Kayja Becker agreed it is a big issue. She explained the new aeration system didn’t work as planned, and so the district is trying another new aeration system.
Other councillors agreed the foul funk must be addressed as a priority.
Councillor Gerry Taft said it would be good if the district could get data on what is flowing into its sewage lagoons.
“It’s strange in that this never happened up until five or six years ago,” said Taft. “It would be nice to know if this is related to temperatures (climate change making springtime warmer), or did the volume of sewage in our system really increase?”
“It was fine for so long,” agreed councillor Grant Kelly.
“How did we suddenly get here? We’ve had a population increase in recent years. Is it just that – more people and so more sewage? Is it the equipment? A combination of those?”
Becker wondered if people using much-larger-than normal amounts of bleach during the COVID-19 pandemic may have somehow affected the sewage lagoons.
The acrid aroma was particularly acute in 2023, when local residents turned out in droves to council meetings. That July, councillors made dealing with the stink one of the district’s official strategic priorities, and in October they approved spending nearly $300,000 on the new aeration system.
