Victoria sewage treatment bill could top $1B

Canoe.ca

VICTORIA (CP) - The bill to clean up sewage in the Victoria area, where raw waste is still discharged into the Pacific, is expected to top $1 billion. The Capital Regional District said that figure doesn't include continuing operating costs. Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe, chairman of the board's liquid waste management committee, said Friday the preliminary estimate is based on analysis by district staff and outside consultants. "We've looked at the whole system," Lowe said. "We've looked at how to deal with wet-weather flow in the system, which is a huge issue, and also we've set up these plants for future resource recovery. "Taking that all into account and the inflation from the early '90s I guess the costs really aren't all that unexpected.

A discussion paper has been issued to inform the public and get feedback. It's estimated a centralized treatment plant system could cost $1.2 billion. It would be less for a decentralized system. The regional board is expected to select an approach and submit it to the province for approval by the end of June. The federal, provincial and municipal governments had previously agreed to split the cost for sewage treatment three ways.