Powell River’s liquid waste management plan (LWMP) is being finalized for submission to the provincial ministry of environment (MoE).
During City of Powell River’s council meeting on Thursday, March 19, Frank D’Angio, manager of engineering services, outlined the steps being taken to move toward construction of a liquid waste management facility.
D’Angio said the purpose of his presentation was to seek approval to submit the updated draft seven LWMP stage three report to council for review, and to schedule a town hall meeting to complete the public consultation plan.
At the February 5 council meeting, councillors gave direction to staff to undertake three initiatives, D’Angio said. These included removing Tla’amin (Sliammon) Nation from the LWMP stage three because the first nation will be constructing its own stand-alone facility.
The second was to organize a town hall meeting to present the stage three liquid waste management plan to the community. The final direction was to remove co-treatment of liquid waste with the Catalyst Paper Corporation from the stage three liquid waste management plan. Direction was also given to proceed with a publicly owned and operated, technologically and environmentally innovative, consolidated stand-alone facility as an option.
“All of these things have been done,” D’Angio said.
The suggested date for the public town hall meeting is Tuesday, April 14, to complete the public consultation plan.
Once council passed the February 5 motion, staff contacted MoE to let it know the liquid waste management plan would be submitted shortly.
“During that conversation we told MoE that there was a requirement for a schedule so that council would have an idea of when this would be taking place. We negotiated and had a discussion and a 10-year time frame was established.”
D’Angio said the city has three potential means of grant funding available for the treatment plant. These include: the New Canada Building Fund, through the ministry of transportation and infrastructure; the federal gas tax fund; plus the green municipal fund.
With regard to financial impact to Powell River, if the city has to pay 100 per cent of the costs for building the new treatment plant, the 2015 estimate is $25 million. If the federal, provincial and city governments split the cost equally if a cost-sharing program was approved, the cost to local taxpayers would be $8.3 million.
“It’s important to understand that once we submit the liquid waste management plan, the city has 10 years to complete the new, consolidated treatment plant,” D’Angio said. “It’s also important to note that if we don’t get granting by 2022, we will have to start building this plant with our own funds.”
Mayor Dave Formosa said the city has been waiting a number of years to shoot the gun and start the race.
“I’ve learned way more than I want about liquid waste.”
However, he said there is a need to get on with the project. Formosa said he was talking to a young woman who is taking an environmental course in Ontario.
“To my surprise and not to my surprise, her hometown of Powell River was one of the case studies,” he said. “It popped up as one of the highest polluters.
“Government wants this done. The sooner we get the application in, the better off we are. If we do, I’m confident something will come up for us.”
The city can make the expenditure of money to construct the liquid waste treatment plant without going to the taxpayer. When asked about whether the city had to take the issue to referendum, City Clerk Marie Claxton said the city has been advised by the province that city does not have to seek elector approval for borrowing for a wastewater treatment plant if the city has a plan that is approved by the province.
“It’s not a requirement, but whether or not council chooses to seek community opinion, that’s certainly council’s prerogative to make that decision,” she said.
