The prospect of the City of Kelowna helping to build a new sani-dump station seems unlikely given a report going Monday to council.聽
Such an undertaking would be expensive and there are already seven locations in the Central Okanagan where owners of motorhomes and trailers can empty their vehicle鈥檚 sewage tank, either for free or a small charge, the report states.聽
鈥淭here does not seem to be any local private sector interest in partnering with the City of Kelowna in developing a new RV sani-dump,鈥 the report says, describing the efforts of staff to engage businesses in the idea.聽
It鈥檚 possible the city could develop its own sani-dump station on municipal land, as has recently been done in the North Okanagan, the report acknowledges. A dozen sites were considered at a high level, with development costs estimated at up to $250,000, plus on-going operating costs of at least $15,000 annually that would have to be recovered by user fees.聽
But several of the seven existing sani-dump stations in the Central Okanagan, typically attached to gas stations, are free to use, the report notes. If a purpose-built sani-dump station was constructed by the City of Kelowna and a user fee was implemented, owners of trailers and RVs might simply continue to use the free sites, the report says.聽
While there is only one聽聽sani-dump station in Kelowna, at a Shell gas station along Highway 97, there are two in West Kelowna, and others at nearby provincial campgrounds.聽
The report makes no particular recommendation other than to provide the general information, which councillors asked for in June 2024.聽
At the time, Coun. Ron Cannan said there was a lack of sani-dump stations in Kelowna, which he believed was limiting the city鈥檚 appeal to tourists. Vernon, Kamloops, and Chilliwack all have municipally-run sani-dump stations, Cannan noted.聽
With the support of other councillors, staff were instructed to look into the matter and report back.聽
鈥淲e are in the waste business, so it wouldn鈥檛 be a dramatic extension for us to do something like this for our community,鈥 city manager Doug Gilchrist said at the time.聽
