A referendum is expected in the spring on decommissioning the HB mine tailings dam near Salmo.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay is seeking approval to borrow about $4 million.
But Salmo Valley regional director Hans Cunningham says the financial burden shouldn’t be onerous.
Cunningham says if the work is approved, it would be a permanent solution.
No date has been set for the referendum.
Residents in Salmo, Nelson, and rural areas D, E, F, and G will be eligible to vote. The overall totals will determine the outcome.
The regional district bought the former Cominco property for landfill purposes in 1998.
In 2012 a portion of the dam failed.
