The Core Area Wastewater Treatment Project Board released its final report on Wednesday afternoon that the region build a single 108-megalitre-per-day plant for the tertiary treatment of wastewater at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt.
The capital cost of the recommended proposal is about $765 million, which comes in at the bottom end of the estimated range of $750 million to $1.1 billion. With federal and provincial contributions in place, the estimated cost per CRD household ranges from about $146 per year per household in Colwood to $344 per year per household in Oak Bay.
The report also includes a commitment to advance studies for a wastewater treatment proposal for Colwood, and a system to ship residual solids by pipe to the Hartland landfill in Saanich, which would also require a plant for the treatment of residual solids at Hartland to produce Class A biosolids and interim storage of biosolids.
A "laydown area" at Rock Bay in Victoria will also be constructed as part of the strategy.
The report proposes a process to develop an integrated resource management solution for waste in the CRD and the development of a plan to improve CRD sewage facilities to mitigate their impacts on host communities.
Chair Jane Bird says the project board worked hard to find a solution that minimizes costs to taxpayers, meets the regulatory and timing criteria.
"The plant design has a smaller footprint and larger setbacks. It is significantly revised to provide better public access to the shoreline, extensive landscaping, and a budget for further refinements to align with existing zoning guidelines and respond to concerns expressed by the residents of Esquimalt.”
The report, as a business case, will come before the CRD board on on Sept. 14. If approved, the provincial and federal governments will consider confirmation of their funding by Sept. 30, 2016.