Repair coming for Greater Victoria sewage treatment plant, CRD says
It cost $775 million to build and took five years to complete. It’s the CRD’s sewage treatment plant, and so far, it’s not functioning as it should.
“One has to wonder what we got for $800 million,” said Hugh Stephens, vice chair of the Mount Work Coalition.
The plant was touted as the CRD’s sewage solution. Instead of pumping treated waste into the ocean, the region’s sewage would be turned into tiny pellets and sent to the Lafarge cement plant in Richmond, to be burned as an alternative to coal.
“Apparently, the anaerobic digester’s not working; the dryer’s not working,” said Stephens.
Right now, the pellets don’t meet Lafarge’s specifications, as they are not the right size, so the CRD had to do something with the biosolids the plant was producing.
“Right now, it’s just being dug in trenches and put into the landfill,” said Stephens.
Neighbours of the facility at Hartland Landfill have concerns about that.
“If there’s anything that goes wrong, Todd Creek is done, Saanich Inlet is done,” said Stephens. “You know, there have been issues in the past with leachate coming out.”
Mike Hicks sits on the CRD board. He admits there are issues with the plant.
“You know, all my life I’ve had engines, outboards,” said Hicks. “I’ve built fishing lodges, and once in a while I just got a lemon and no matter what I did to it, I just couldn’t get it to work. I really hope this isn’t one of those lemons.”
He’s confident that a fix will come, but in the meantime he feels for the people living and visiting the area around Hartland Landfill.
“The poor people of Willis Point are enduring this terrible stench as they do this, and hikers,” said Hicks. “It’s not good and it can only get better.”
The CRD says a fix is on it’s way.
Glenn Harris, senior manager of the CRD’s Environmental Protection Division, describes the issue as a mechanical one.
“We’re simply going to get a sieve in place where we can actually make sure that we can shake through the pellets and get them down to a size that Lafarge, the cement facility, can handle,” Harris said. “That’s a mechanical solution and we have that on order and we expect that to be in place in the next few weeks.”
Because of the project agreement, it won’t cost taxpayers any more money.
“(The contractors who did the work are) obligated and they have the liability to resolve the issues with the plant,” said Harris. “So they have an incentive to fix this as soon as possible.”
The CRD is hoping to have the problem resolved and to begin shipping bio-solids to Richmond this summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.