Glacier House Resort, located north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, has faced a significant penalty exceeding $70,000 due to serious violations related to its sewage management system. The resort failed to properly train its staff and supervise sewage discharge. This level of negligence has created alarming fears over the health of local drinking water supplies.
Follow-up investigations revealed these and other violations. The resort neglected to construct an approved sampling facility and flow measuring device for its inadequately treated sewage discharge in 2022. Additionally, from 2022 to 2024, Glacier House Resort was unable to track daily effluent amounts from their sewage system. During this time, the resort neglected to measure the quarterly flow rates of sewage being discharged into the receiving environment. This breach happened at least nine times.
Glacier House Resort received more than $101,000 in economic benefits as a result of these shortcomings. They didn’t restock their trained sewage handlers. While the first proposed penalty was indeed higher – more than $70,000 – the regulatory cap on penalties brought that amount down to $40,000. The resort now has 30 days to appeal Jason Bourgeois Judge’s ruling. This short appeal period started on July 23rd.
These new owners of Glacier House Resort now find themselves in control since 2020. At the time, they really didn’t know of any compliance problems with the sewage system. They contracted Kamloops-based Paradigm Drilling to drill three groundwater monitoring wells. This decision followed months of alarm over whether the wells currently in use could be relied on to provide safe water.
Outdated and unsafe sewage management puts our drinking water at risk. It cost Glacier House Resort tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. As authorities and public health officials monitor the situation closely, the resort faces scrutiny regarding its commitment to ensuring safe and compliant operations moving forward.
“Drinking water contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria can cause stomach and intestinal illness including diarrhea and nausea and even lead to death,” – Jason Bourgeois
The resort’s director expressed concerns about their operational capabilities.
“As a small, independent resort operator, we do not possess internal technical expertise or trained staff in this area,” – The resort’s director
The failures in proper sewage management not only put drinking water at risk but also saved Glacier House Resort tens of thousands of dollars. As authorities and public health officials monitor the situation closely, the resort faces scrutiny regarding its commitment to ensuring safe and compliant operations moving forward.
