View Royal is the latest municipality to give approval to the Capital Regional District’s request to borrow up to $34.3 million to upgrade aging wastewater pipes, manhole covers and pump stations throughout the core area service region.
For the last 10 years while long range planning has been underway, infrastructure renewal was paused. Now that the McLoughlin Point wastewater treatment plant in Esquimalt is nearly complete, the 175 pump stations and 110 kilometres of sewer pipes need attention.
CRD staff have planned out five years worth of upgrades to parts of the wastewater infrastructure that are nearing the end of their useful life, and they estimate they’ll need to borrow up to $34.3 million to fund it.
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They need approval from at least two-thirds of the municipalities involved to secure financing from the municipal finance authority. Esquimalt, Oak Bay and View Royal have given approval. Victoria, Saanich, Langford and Colwood have the item on their agendas for upcoming council meetings.
Esquimalt and Songhees Nations are also part of the liquid waste management agreement, but the bylaws do not apply on First Nations land in the same way. The CRD is in the process of developing service agreements with those Nations.
Did you know, according to the CRD, every person produces an average of 185–200 litres of wastewater per day?
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