The Regional District of Central Kootenay is changing tack with its rural residential organic waste diversion efforts.
In 2022, it received a grant of $458,000 from Columbia Basin Trust to fund bear-resistant containers for the proposed curbside collection of organic waste in defined portions of Areas F, H and J. However, in 2024 the referenda didn’t receive approval from electors.
The grant remains unspent, but CBT is allowing the RDCK to reallocate the funds, pending approval of an updated plan.
The RDCK will submit its new project proposal, titled Rural Organic Waste Diversion and Climate Resilient Communities. The project will focus on self-management and self-hauling of compostable organic wastes in all electoral areas.
One part of the project is a rebate program for backyard composters, home appliances for food scraps processing, vermi-composting, and bokashi kits for electoral area residential households.
The project would also see bear-proof residential organic waste drop-off infrastructure installed at rural transfer stations that are within 75 kilometres of existing compost disposal sites, such as Slocan, Kaslo, Balfour, Boswell and Crawford Bay; procurement and distribution of containers for residential self-hauling of organic waste; and tipping fee financial supports to reduce costs for disposing organics.
Some of the funds would cover one-third of the cost of containers for the Town of Creston’s residential green bin program.
Three jobs would also come out of it: two seasonal rural waste ambassadors for education and outreach with residents, and an RDCK organics co-ordinator to implement the project.
The total project would cost $454,822, funded by CBT. If approved, the RDCK would contribute a 10 per cent contingency of $45,482.
The project would be carried out in 2026-27, with an end date of Sept. 30, 2027.
New transit service funding model aims for more transparency
A new model for how transit service costs are divvied out in the region is on its way to fruition. The board gave two readings to two new bylaws at its June 19 meeting.
The existing apportionment method is 25 years old and no longer reflects current ridership and service levels. The proposed changes are intended to increase transparency and align cost distribution more closely with actual transit usage.
Two routes in particular are up for changes: 20 (Slocan Valley), and 10 (North Shore).
Route 20 is currently funded by taxpayers of the Village of Slocan (seven per cent), defined Area H (60 per cent), and Areas E and F (33 per cent). Under the new method, defined Area H will fund 79 per cent, Area F will fund seven per cent, Area E will fund five per cent, the Village of Slocan will fund four per cent, and Silverton, New Denver, Area H, Area K, and Nakusp will fund one per cent each.
Route 10 is funded by Areas E and F, which split the costs by assessment. In the updated model, Area E will fund 41 per cent, Area F will fund 57 per cent, defined Area A will fund one per cent, and Area D will fund one per cent.
The new model is based on a transit values study completed by Watt Consulting Group. Watt interviewed 16-of-20 directors to establish their values, desired societal outcomes, and community objectives for transit in the region.
The updated apportionment system is likely to be implemented over a five-year period, to help mitigate the impact in affected areas. How exactly that will look will get ironed out before the bylaws are given third reading and final adoption.
Krestova groundwater well
The Krestova Improvement District (KID) would like to supplement its current surface water supply with groundwater from an existing well.
The RDCK will apply for a grant on KID’s behalf to develop an engineering design and cost estimate for connecting the well to the improvement district’s distribution system.
The design and cost estimate would help support KID’s application to Interior Health to designate the well as a production well for supplying groundwater.
Currently, the KID water system is sourced solely from surface water, which is susceptible to reduced stream flows from climate change – the dry summer of 2022 led to low flows, and a cold snap in December 2023 froze the water intake, leaving the district without water for two weeks.
Connecting the well to the system would provide the district with a reliable drinking water source.
