Victoria, BC – The Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia, and the Capital Regional District (CRD), are pleased to announce that the Wastewater Treatment Project is now treating wastewater and is exceeding regulatory requirements.

The $775-million Wastewater Treatment Project provides wastewater treatment for the core area municipalities of Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay, View Royal, Colwood and Langford and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. It was approved in 2016 and has been under construction for four years. The Project consists of three main components:

• The McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Esquimalt, which provides tertiary treatment to the core area’s wastewater;
• The Residuals Treatment Facility located in Saanich at the Hartland Landfill, which turns residual solids into Class A biosolids; and
• A conveyance system, which carries wastewater from across the core area to the treatment plant, and residual solids to the Residuals Treatment Facility.

The Wastewater Treatment Project was built to meet federal and provincial regulations for wastewater treatment. The McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant can treat 108 megalitres of wastewater per day to a tertiary level – one of the highest levels of treatment available which exceeds the regulatory requirements. The wastewater system is controlled and monitored 24/7. The state-of-the-art facility has 24-hour odour control monitoring and there will be no discernible odour in the community.

The Residuals Treatment Facility turns residual solids from the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant into Class A biosolids. These are the highest quality by-product suitable for beneficial use. The biosolids will be transported to the Lower Mainland where they will be used as an alternative fuel source for a cement manufacturing facility for five years, helping reduce their reliance on non-renewable fuels to power the facility. The CRD is currently in the process of determining a long-term biosolids strategy.

The majority of construction is complete on the major components of the Wastewater Treatment Project. Construction continues on the Trent Forcemain and Arbutus Attenuation Tank. These are being built to increase the capacity of the conveyance system and are expected to be completed in spring 2021.

The CRD would like to thank the Lekwungen speaking peoples, known today as Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, for their support of the Wastewater Treatment Project, much of which is located on their traditional territories. The CRD would also like to thank the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations as the Residuals Treatment Facility and parts of the conveyance system are located within their traditional territories.

The Wastewater Treatment Project is funded by the Government of Canada ($211 million), the Government of British Columbia ($248 million) and the Capital Regional District ($316 million).

Please enjoy a video to celebrate this achievement. https://youtu.be/w8_U5-Ofq44

Video Speaking Times
00:51 – Florence Dick, Songhees Nation Liaison
04:41 - The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
05:27 - The Honourable John Horgan, Premier of BC and Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State
07:31 – Colin Plant, CRD Board Chair 

Quotes:

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities – “The Government of Canada’s investments in wastewater treatment are helping keep the Strait of Juan de Fuca safe and clean for marine life. Operations at the new McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant are now underway, saving energy, supporting community development and preserving the Strait for future generations. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

The Honourable John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia – “Congratulations to the Capital Regional District for completing the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. This state-of-the-art facility means a cleaner future for the region. Our government will continue to support initiatives like this one that protect our environment and create jobs for generations to come.”

Colin Plant, CRD Board Chair – “This Project has been years in the making and I’m very pleased we are meeting our regulatory requirements to treat wastewater. I would like to thank the Project Board and all the staff who have delivered this project before the end of the year. I’d also like to thank residents for their patience during many months of construction and disruptions. This is the largest infrastructure project in the region’s history and is a demonstration of our commitment to protect our ocean and our environment.”

Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.

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Media Contacts:

Capital Regional District
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492

Infrastructure Canada
Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure Canada and Communities
Tel: 613.941.0660
Chantalle.Aubertin@canada.ca

Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Media Relations: 778.584.2433

Backgrounder

The Wastewater Treatment Project: By the Numbers

The Wastewater Treatment Project is the largest infrastructure project in CRD history.

Key Facts:

• Construction for the Wastewater Treatment Project has taken place across three municipalities and within the traditional territories of the Esquimalt, Songhees, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum and Pauquachin Nations.
• The McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has capacity to treat 108 megalitres of wastewater per day. That’s the equivalent of 43 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• The plant has capacity to accommodate future population growth.
• Three levels of wastewater treatment take place at McLoughlin Point: primary treatment is the physical separation of solids from wastewater; secondary treatment is a biological process that removes dissolved and suspended organic compounds in the wastewater; and tertiary treatment is a physical process that reduces solids that remain after the secondary treatment process.
• A new outfall was installed at McLoughlin Point that is 2 km long and discharges treated effluent at a water depth of 60 metres. The outfall pipe is made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) and has 350 concrete ballast weights spaced 4-6 metres apart, each weighing approximately 11,400 kg. There are also 20 bridges across the pipe to allow for migration of sea life across the pipe. Additionally, artificial reefs were constructed near the shoreline to create habitat for a variety of marine species, including salmon.
• A cross-harbour undersea pipe from Ogden Point in Victoria to McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt was installed in 2018, to connect the Clover Point Pump Station to the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. The cross-harbour pipe is made of steel and is 1.1 metres in diameter.It took 9 months to drill a 1 kilometre-long tunnel under the harbour, 6 weeks to assemble and weld 78 pieces of steel pipe sections together on Niagara Street, and 3 days to pull the 1 kilometre pipe through the tunnel. At its deepest, the harbour crossing is more than 60 metres below the ocean floor.
• The Residuals Treatment Facility has capacity to treat more than 14,000 dry tonnes of residual solids per year.
• The Clover Point Pump Station was originally built in the 1970s to discharge wastewater from Victoria, Oak Bay and Saanich into the ocean. It has been expanded and upgraded to convey wastewater to the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment.
• A new Macaulay Point Pump Station has been built in Esquimalt, replacing the 48-year-old pump station that was located on that site. The Macaulay Point Pump Station conveys wastewater from Esquimalt, View Royal, Langford, Colwood, Saanich, Victoria and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations to the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment.
• Over 35 km of pipes were installed to carry wastewater from across the core area to the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment, and residual solids to the Residuals Treatment Facility at Hartland Landfill for further treatment.
• At the peak of construction, over 650 people were working on the Project at 24 construction sites.
• Over 2.5 million hours have been worked on the Wastewater Treatment Project, by eleven major contractors (five headquartered in BC, four in Canada and two US) with the support of multiple subcontractors:
  • Don Mann Excavating
  • Harbour Resource Management Group
    • Bird Construction Inc.
    • Maple Reinders PPP Ltd.
    • Synagro Capital
  • Harbour Resource Partners
    • AECOM Canada
    • Graham Infrastructure
  • Jacob Brothers
  • Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.
  • Knappett Projects Inc.
  • NAC Constructors Ltd.
  • Windley Contracting Ltd.
• Safety of the public and workers has been the Project’s and the Project contractors’ top priority.All Project contractors implemented additional precautions to ensure the health and safety of their workers and the public during the global health pandemic.
• The Project has been built to post-disaster standards so it will remain operational following a major earthquake.
• Sustainable design features include:
  • The Operations and Maintenance Building at the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has been built to LEED Gold design standards.
  • Heat recovery from wastewater will be used to heat buildings at McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • Green roofs at both the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Macaulay Point Pump Station contribute to lower urban air temperatures by absorbing the sun’s rays, retain rain water and provide wildlife habitat.
  • Processing of residual solids into class A biosolids that are suitable for beneficial use.
  • The dryer at the Residuals Treatment Facility will be fueled by biogas generated during the digestion process.
• One of the Project’s goals was to add value to the surrounding community and enhance the livability of neighborhoods.This was achieved by improving infrastructure and adding amenities in neighbourhoods impacted by the construction of the Project, including:
  • Clover Point public space improvements including a viewing plaza and public washrooms
  • Dallas Road cycle track
  • Creating a park amenity at Macaulay Point Pump Station
  • Improving the level of water service to properties in Saanich near Hartland Landfill

For more information, visit www.wastewaterproject.ca.