Hemlock Valley Utilities has been working diligently over the past months to improve our systems, personnel, and reporting processes. The entire utility team has been completely revamped, with operators now trained and certified under EOCP standards. A Class IV EOCP-certified operator with decades of combined team experience now leads the wastewater treatment program.
We have come to understand that there has been a lack of communication between Hemlock Valley Utilities and the community in the past. Our new team seeks to remediate this issue by sharing not just emergency notifications, but also non-emergency updates on any improvements made or issues faced by our systems. It’s important that residents are given the chance to celebrate the positive developments too, rather than only receiving word when things have gone wrong.
We are actively making significant investments in our team and infrastructure to ensure our systems meet and exceed our permit standards. In the past two months alone, this has included a new pump in our lift station, a new flow meter for treatment operations, and repairs on multiple points in our discharge force main. This next month, a new fence for our treatment lagoons will also be installed.
Many more improvements are in the planning stages, with no issue too big or too small to consider. Moving forward, new maintenance plans are being drawn up to improve the reliability of our equipment all year round and to ensure that every step of the process is maintained in good working condition.
Our team reports regularly to Fraser Health, the FVRD, the Ministry of Environment, and Provincial and Federal regulators to ensure our systems and practices meet the highest standards.
We will remain diligent in our testing, treatment, and reporting as we continue to improve and update our infrastructure.
Thank you for your understanding as we move forward with accountability, stewardship, and transparency at the core of our operations.
