Victoria-area plan to treat raw sewage finally approved

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      After decades of debate, numerous setbacks, and international criticism, Victoria's century-long history of flushing raw sewage into the Juan de Fuca Strait is finally coming to an end. 

      Victoria discharges more than 80 million litres of sewage per day into the strait.

      On September 14, the Capital Regional District approved a $765-million sewage-treatment plant at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt.

      The CRD-operated, 108-megalitre-per-day facility will provide tertiary treatment of wastewater and is scheduled to be in operation by the end of 2020.

      Residual solids will be conveyed by pipe to Saanich's Hartland landfill, where another plant will convert it to "Class A biosolids", to be stored there until future disposal methods are finalized.

      The plan includes funding for a study for another wastewater-treatment proposal in Colwood and a resource-management solution for waste from the region.

      The CRD board voted 14-1 in favour of the plan, with only Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell voting against it.

      The federal government required a decision for the location of the plant by September 30 or else have $253 million in funding revoked.

      Canadian national sewage-treatment regulations became effective in January 2015. The district must provide a secondary level of sewage treatment by 2020 to meet provincial and federal requirements. 

      Currently, sewage is discharged into the ocean with only primary treatment.

      The region's discharge of raw sewage has been the target of activist protest from both B.C. and Washington state, as well as having attracted international criticism.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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