Construction of first-ever tertiary wastewater treatment plant for Vancouver Island

The seven municipalities that make up the core area of the Capital Regional District currently discharge untreated sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After a triple bottom line review of short-listed options, the Capital Regional District will construct a single plant for the tertiary treatment of wastewater (108 megalitres/day) at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt. Supported by upgrades to collection and conveyance systems, as well as a new residuals treatment plant that will produce Class A bio-solids, the Core Area Wastewater Treatment Project will serve more than 320,000 people and will be the first tertiary treatment plant to operate on Vancouver Island. Innovative aspect: • Incorporation of environmental and community features, such as green roofs, enhanced odour-control systems and greater setback from the shoreline Environmental benefits: • In addition to treating over 39,000,000 m3/year of wastewater, the new plant will reduce carbonaceous oxygen demand (CBOD) and total suspended solid (TSS) levels by 96% • Will meet LEED v4 requirements for energy efficiency by using high thermal resistant envelope measures, a system of heat exchangers, LED lighting fixtures and power monitoring • Energy consumption will be at least 20% less compared to modelled baseline, which represents a reduction of 451 GJ/year Economic benefits: • Indirect benefits are likely to include increased property value with land remediation at the McLoughlin Point site, avoidance of water treatment regulatory fines, and contribution to further economic and population growth • Expected reduction in annual operating and maintenance costs of approximately $348,000 • Expected additional property taxes of $40 million/year by 2021, with inflationary increase in future years Social benefits: • The plant will support public tours with an educational and interpretive center and educational signage • The Township of Esquimalt will benefit from a one-time contribution of $17 million to the McLoughlin Point Amenity Reserve Fund, used for capital projects for municipal waterfront parks, community recreational buildings and spaces, and emergency services and public safety facilities (Project description from original funding application)