WHO'S going to pay for this crap? That's the question being bandied about regarding plans for a new Lions Gate Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Slated to be in operation by the end of the decade, the Pemberton Avenue plant would use a biological process to remove about 90 per cent of dissolved material from liquid waste.
The secondary treatment process will be an environmental step up from the current primary treatment, which only filters out solid material.
But the new sewage plant will come with a hefty price tag. Depending on which design is chosen, the plant could cost between approximately $400 million and $700 million, adding up to a financial strain for North Shore residents.
"The current formula is harder on the people in the North Shore," said City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
That could be eased if neighbouring municipalities chip in, say local political leaders. But lobbying for funding from other municipalities may be challenging, as the plant would only benefit the North Shore.
With the projected $1 billion upgrade of the Iona wastewater plant in Richmond scheduled for 2030 and other improvements slated for the near-future, the issue of funding for large infrastructure projects has been hovering in the background for Metro politicians, according to Delta Mayor Lois Jackson.
"Those of us on the south side of the river basically constructed the very large Annacis Island treatment plant," she said. "Because the north side of the river: Richmond, New West, Burnaby, Vancouver, weren't a part of that, I
guess we'd have to look at that in terms of what fairness is."
Asking for too much from nearby cities may cause an impasse, according to Jackson.
Mussatto said he's still hopeful a new, more equitable funding system could be devised.
"We're hoping that we can come up with a formula that recognizes the contributions of those municipalities that gave a bit more last time: the Burnabys, the Surreys, and the New Westminsters."
While the North Shore did not pay as much for the Annacis plant, that was partially due to the changing formulas that have been used to determine sewage costs, he said. "We're trying to get one formula like we do with water, for example. Water, it's all one region, it's all one utility, we all pay the same," Mussatto said.
For the last two decades, the benefiting municipality has typically shouldered about 30 per cent of the capital costs of a secondary wastewater plant, but that formula may be revised, according to Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. "My guess, I'm sure there will be some regional absorption of the costs," he said.
The price tag will weigh heavily when designing the treatment plant, said Mussatto.
A third stage of tertiary treatment is designed to remove contaminants missed in the secondary stage, but Mussatto said that may be too pricey.
Because of the low elevation of the new site, critical equipment will be positioned several metres above the existing grade or otherwise protected, but District of North Vancouver Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn still has concerns.
"I think the decision to locate at that site is wrongheaded. If you look at the recent events with Toronto and the New Jersey hurricane, I'm concerned about climate change, rising sea water levels, extreme weather," he said. "I'm told by the engineers involved, they assure me that everything is wonderful, but I still have my doubts."
The final design should be decided on by the end of September, according to Mussatto.
