CRD to ship biosolids to Nanaimo for forest fertilizer

"Class A" biosolids produced at the CRD's Residuals Treatment Facility at the Hartland Landfill are shown. (CTV)

The Capital Regional District is planning on sending biosolids generated in the Greater Victoria area to Nanaimo, B.C., to help forests grow.

Currently, biosolids created in the CRD are sent to a cement plant owned by Larfage Canada in Richmond, B.C.

Larfage takes those biosolids and incinerates the waste to turn it into fuel.

However, the Larfage plant was closed for much of last year for maintenance, forcing the CRD to dump the biosolids in the Harltand Landfill.

Recently, the CRD board voted to allow the biosolids to be spread in other land areas for non-agricultural use, like forest fertilizer, since such a large volume was being spread at the landfill.

Regional district staff are working on contracts to truck the biosolids over the Malahat highway to Nanaimo, B.C., where it will be spread.

"We've got direction from senior levels of government that the land application is safe when it's properly applied," said Glenn Harris, senior manager of environmental protection for the CRD.

"Protection of human health and the environment is a key priority for that," he added. "There's a lot of processes and plans in place to make sure that happens and we're going to follow that and make sure it happens."

The CRD expects to have a long-term plan in place for the biosolids by 2025.