The federal government has given the Capital Regional District a few more months to figure out the logistics of a long-overdue sewage treatment plant to be built for the region.
The CRD announced Wednesday it had signed a six-month extension of a conditional agreement with Public-Private Partnerships Canada.
The extension means the CRD has until Sept. 30 to plan for an enhanced wastewater treatment centre while remaining eligible for more than $80-million in PPP Canada funding.
The previous deadline was set for March 31.
“I would like to thank PPP Canada for the extension and I am grateful they recognize the progress we have made over the last few months,” CRD Board Chair and Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said in a statement. “I would also like to thank the Province for supporting us in this request as we strive to deliver a cost-effective and environmentally beneficial solution for our region.”
An extension was requested by the CRD with support from the province, which is also contributing money to the project.
Debate has raged over the sewage plant – with politicians arguing over details like where it should go and the attached price tag, which recently surpassed $1-billion.
The latest CRD proposal is for a two-plant system – an underground treatment plant at Clover Point in Victoria and another at McLoughlin Point or Macaulay Plain in Esquimalt.
Greater Victoria pumps some 130-million litres of untreated effluent into the Juan de Fuca Strait daily, and environmentalists as well as officials in Washington State have criticized the region for pumping sewage directly into the ocean.
