The CRD has approved a funding agreement with the Province, which means the regional sewage treatment project - debated for almost 30 years - can start construction as early as next month.
The agreement allows for a non-repayable contribution of up to $248-million to cover some of the costs of the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Residuals Treatment Facility at Hartland landfill, and the conveyance component of the project;- such things as a 1 kilometre long pipe to be imbedded in the bedrock under the sea.
The vote was time sensitive, as construction needs to begin in April in order to comply with a federal mandate that the region be treating its sewage by December 31, 2020.
The first phase will see construction of the wastewater plant at McLoughlin Point, and the undersea force main from Ogden Point to McLoughlin Point . Conveyance pipes, pumps station upgrades, and the residual treatment facility will follow. Completion is slated for late November of 2020.
The total projected cost of the treatment plant project is $765 million, with taxpayers responsible for $306 million. The rest -- $459 million -- will come from the federal and provincial governments.
CRD Chair, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, thanks the Core Area Waste Management Committee for their work getting the long-awaited project through to the construction phase.