Esquimalt's mayor frustrated by ongoing concerns about smells emanating from wastewater plant

Esquimalt's West Bay Marina is scenic. Many folks who live or work there say, at times, it can also be smelly.

"It smells like poop, basically," acknowledged Victoria, who works at the marina’s office and declined to provide her last name.

The smell wafting over the sea is thought by many to be emanating from the McLoughlin wastewater treatment plant – the megaproject Esquimalt reluctantly accepted in its backyard – that has been up and running for two years.

Residents CTV News spoke with noted the smell from the plant depends largely on the extent and direction of winds in the area.

The Capital Regional District – which runs the treatment plant – had promised Esquimalt that if the township allowed the plant to be built there, there would not be any stench coming from it.

The CRD issued a statement Wednesday noting the plant has a system in place that treats odours.

“All air exhausted from the plant is intended to contain a maximum odour concentration at and beyond the plant boundary of less than five odour units per cubic metre, which would be not perceptible to most people,” noted the CRD’s chief administrative officer Ted Robbins.

The CRD acknowledges that there are still some smells coming from the plant, but blames them primarily on maintenance work, noting in a statement Wednesday: “We have said that some odour was generated earlier in the summer when tank/process maintenance work was being conducted, which did result in a few odour complaints.”

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins says the system isn’t working adequately.

“The CRD made a significant commitment around odour and it has not yet been met to the satisfaction of the residents,” she said Wednesday.

Adding to her concern, the CRD has agreed to pay out the final sums owed to the company that built the plant – nearly $6 million – confirming it's satisfied with the job.

“This was touted as state-of-the-art and all the rest, but if you can't meet the odour control, all the rest doesn't matter,” said Desjardins.

The CRD has promised to investigate the ongoing complaints of smells and address what might be causing them. It’s producing a report next month that will set out its findings and what it's proposing to do next to address the concerns.

For now though, Desjardins is anxious for quick action.

“You don’t have a sewage treatment plant at the gateway to your community that smells,” she said.