VICTORIA, BC, MARCH 17, 2017 --The governments of Canada and British Columbia are investing a total of approximately $459 million in wastewater infrastructure investments in the Capital Regional District (CRD) that will create jobs, better protect the environment and address regional challenges.
Construction gets underway in April on the redesigned McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Township of Esquimalt. The $385 million project is being funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia and the CRD.
"The Government of Canada recognizes that we need a solid partnership with all orders of government to support the infrastructure that will prepare us for the future and create the good, well-paying jobs to help the middle class grow and prosper today," said Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. "Investing in this Capital Regional District wastewater treatment solution is an investment in our environment and, in the longer term, the jobs and livelihoods of those working in British Columbia's aquaculture industries."
This is the first of three integrated projects totalling an estimated $765 million to put in place a modern, efficient wastewater treatment system for the CRD's core area. The Wastewater Treatment Project includes:
The McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will provide tertiary treatment to the core area's wastewater and includes a pipeline from Ogden Point to McLoughlin Point and a new marine outfall for treated water into the Juan de Fuca Strait;
A Residuals Treatment Facility at the Hartland Landfill, which will turn residual solids into "Class A" biosolids; and
A conveyance system, which will carry wastewater from across the core area to the treatment plant, and residual solids to the Residuals Treatment Facility.
Once all project components are completed by the end of 2020, CRD residents and businesses will have a modern wastewater treatment solution that is environmentally sensitive to the surrounding marine ecosystem, and will serve their needs well into the future.
