The Capital Regional District’s $775 million wastewater treatment project is wrapping up after five years.
The project ran from May 2016 to this month, with the mandate of providing wastewater treatment for Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay, View Royal, Langford, Colwood and the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.
CRD board chair Colin Plant called it the largest infrastructure project in the region’s history and said it came into service on time and under budget.
“This remarkable achievement will have a lasting impact on the region and provides us with the tools we need to protect our ocean and our environment,” he said.
READ: Greater Victoria wastewater treatment project up and running in Esquimalt
The wastewater treatment project includes three main components: the McLoughlin Point treatment plant in Esquimalt, a residuals treatments facility at Hartland landfill in Saanich and the series of pipes and pumps that carry wastewater from across the region to the treatment plant.
According to the CRD, the project achieves the goals of meeting or exceeding provincial regulations, minimizing costs to residents and businesses, optimizing opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adding value to the surrounding community that enhances the livability of the area.
The new wastewater infrastructure requires ongoing management, responsibilities the CRD has been preparing to take on since the project began.
READ: PHOTOS: Check out Greater Victoria’s new wastewater treatment facilities
Some minor construction continues at the Arbutus attenuation tank, an underground concrete tank that will temporarily store wastewater flows during high volume storm events, and the Clover Point pump station. That work is covered by funds committed in the project’s budget.
Moving forward, the CRD will be closing out the project’s construction contracts, fulfilling the project’s remaining First Nations and land-agreement obligations and will focus on operation and maintenance related to the newly-built infrastructure.
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