Sechelt’s wastewater treatment eyed at Vancouver Island forum

A delegation from Sechelt, including Mayor John R. Henderson spoke on the subject of “successful sewage treatment for small communities” at a public forum hosted by the City of Colwood, near Victoria on July 15. The forum focused on the process used by Sechelt to procure a stateof- the-art wastewater facility to replace the aged systems currently in operation. About 80 members of the public, and several mayors and councillors from neighbouring cities attended the session, held at Royal Roads University, in Colwood. The City is currently exploring options for wastewater treatment and partnered with Royal Roads, Green- Tech Exchange and Urban Systems Ltd. in hosting the event.

“Sechelt’s Water Resource Centre will come on-line in mid-October, and provide wastewater treatment that exceeds the highest standards prescribed by Province of B.C. regulations. It will produce water suitable for irrigation and industrial purposes, as well as Class A compost, using heat generated by the facility,” District of Sechelt staff stated. “The Water Resource Centre will be nuisance, noise and odour-free and will include the use of plants in a greenhouse to aid in processing of the waste,” District reps told the forum. Mayor Henderson spoke on the challenge Sechelt presented to engineering firms for the design of a new treatment option. “We issued a call for expressions of interest to create safe, expandable and affordable wastewater processing that would be an asset to our community. A Request for design/build proposals was then issued. The emphasis was on use of innovation and technology to provide quality wastewater treatment,” said Henderson. Maple Reinders Inc. is the lead company of the consortium that submitted the successful proposal. MR representative Andrew Ambrozy spoke on how his firm and four others in the industry responded to the challenge presented by Sechelt. MHPM Project Management and Sechelt’s Project Coordinator Paul Nash also noted the unique approach the project has taken.

“The cost of the project is $25 million. Over $12 million of the construction cost will be funded through nonrepayable grants from the Building Canada, Gas Tax Innovation and Green Municipal funds, Henderson said. Much of that funding was approved based on our commitment to innovation and our use of technology. We focused on maximizing the value to our community rather than minimizing the capital costs,” This approach has enabled Sechelt to deliver a treatment standard that will protect the ocean environment and that can be expanded incrementally as the community grows; we’re very proud to be creating something for other coastal communities to consider when addressing their wastewater treatment challenges.” A delegation from Colwood which included Mayor Carol Hamilton toured the Sechelt project site in June, 2014. Following her visit, Mayor Hamilton commended Sechelt for the vision of a “noiseless, odourless and green facility that focuses on the highest level of sewage treatment,” and invited Sechelt to make a presentation about the project process in her community. Communities and individuals interested in more information on or in visiting Sechelt’s Water Resource Centre are encouraged to contact the District of Sechelt.

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