Metro Vancouver votes to adopt new approach for Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Board of Metro Vancouver has voted to adopt a new approach for upgrading the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond.

The board says this new approach will mitigate annual cost impacts for ratepayers and protect the environment and public health.

“Over the past year, Metro Vancouver has carefully examined options to deliver secondary wastewater treatment as quickly as possible, while ensuring cost sustainability for our region,” said Metro Vancouver Board Chair Mike Hurley in a statement.

“In the past year, we’ve selected a technology that has given us an opportunity to rescope the Iona project to something we can deliver for $6 billion, a reduction of almost $4 billion compared to the previous project over the same time period.

“This is a great opportunity for us to keep annual rates as low as possible for residents, while still ensuring we’re protecting human and environmental health.”

However, according to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, any changes to the scope of work funded under the Provincial or federal Phase 1 agreements would require formal approval to ensure the revised plan continues to meet program outcomes and criteria.

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“Metro Vancouver has a responsibility to deliver this project in a way that meets both environmental standards and the needs of residents,” Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, said in a statement.

“We will continue to work with them to ensure public dollars are used responsibly and services are delivered efficiently.”

The board voted to have the existing Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant undergo phased upgrades to rehabilitate the existing primary treatment plant and achieve compliance for secondary wastewater treatment.

The board says this approach comes with a new cost estimate of $6 billion, rather than the previously estimated $9.9 billion.

The new proposed approach will:

• Add incremental secondary treatment to the existing plant to improve effluent quality sooner
• Rehabilitate the existing primary plant and replace it as a future project
• Focus on the delivery of project components that will help meet regulatory compliance
• Reprioritize and defer sub-projects not required for secondary compliance

1:43 $60M consulting contract for Iona Island wastewater plant raises concerns

The Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant was commissioned in 1963 and has to undergo renovations to upgrade the facility to meet federal and provincial regulatory requirements.

The plant serves approximately 750,000 residents in the Vancouver Sewerage Area and processes about 200 billion litres, about 40 per cent, of the region’s wastewater each year, according to Metro Vancouver.

“The updated approach is an innovative way to make sure we’re meeting our regulatory requirements, protecting the health of the environment, and being mindful of what residents are able to contribute financially to this important project,” said Liquid Waste Committee Chair Malcolm Brodie in a statement.