Victoria, B.C. still seeking site for sewage treatment plant
June 3, 2015
By
CCE
On Vancouver Island a committee has put forward a list of over 20 potential sites for a new wastewater treatment plant to serve the Capital Regional District in B.C.. Urban Systems is working with the CRD’s Eastside Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery Select Committee to provide “high level” technical information for the public consultations on which site to select.
Public charrettes were held at the end of May at the University of Victoria and the Victoria Conference Centre to allow members of the public to “dig into this new information, learn more and give input.” Feedback was also open online until June 1.
The information being provided to the public for each site is fairly detailed and includes the land and site area, its current and future use, zoning, as well as considerations involving archaeology, seismic risk, ecological scenarios, possibilities for water reuse and heat recovery, distance to roads, etc. Cost is also a consideration.
Seven municipalities, including Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt and Langford are all part of the so-called “Seaterra Program” which has to implement secondary wastewater treatment in the Capital Regional District by 2020 according to a federally legislated deadline.
Until a new plant is built, the region’s sewage is released into the ocean with only primary treatment.
Canada and the province have agreed to provide $500 million toward the $788 million project known as the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan (CALWMP).
Originally a site on McLoughlin Point was identified for the treatment plant, but in April 2014, the town of Esquimault rejected the location and since then the Seaterra program has been “paused” while the region finds a new solution.
