Powell River, B.C., decides on route and design for wastewater treatment facility

City of Powell River Council has approved the route of the pipeline as well as the design concept for its new Townsite wastewater treatment facility, a consolidated plant that will be located adjacent to the existing Townsite plant. The city’s existing Westview plant will be decommissioned and replaced with a new underground pump station.

In August 2017, the city hired Associated Engineering to do the pre-design and detailed design of the new plant.

The conveyance route of the new pipeline will run through Willingdon Beach Trail.

“I have lots of confidence that the engineers have heard us loud and clear that there is a lot of concern about the trails,” said Councillor Karen Skadsheim, as noted in a media release. While the trail is the more sensitive route, during construction, the project will make use of technologies and procedures that will have the least impact on sensitive parts of the route, she added.

Tor Birtig, director of infrastructure, said the city had a couple of proposals for the design and citizens consulted wanted something that integrated with the area’s natural environment. “We heard them loud and clear and want to move forward with the green roofs. With respect to the living wall, we heard that we should not completely enclose it with foliage, but to have various components of it either murals or concrete that has some specific design inlaid in it.

“We heard the input and we’ll bring those elements forward as we move further along the process. We don’t have to complete those design decisions at this time. We can hold onto them and use them as a contingency and still apply for grant funding.”

The city is aiming to begin building the new plant this fall and to begin operating in 2020.