Capital region residents are invited to join a virtual open house Tuesday to learn about and share views on long-term use of biosolids before a report is sent to the province in a few months.
It’s a complex and divisive issue with challenging timelines and unclear solutions.
“The board is in a really tough position right now,” Colin Plant, board chair, said Monday.
Citizens can sign up for the 6 p.m. meeting; it will be recorded for viewing later. The district is running a public survey closing March 6 on the topic.
The province requires a long-term plan for beneficial use of biosolids, a byproduct of sewage treatment, to be submitted by mid-June. The solution is supposed to be operational by the beginning of 2026.
The district’s board will take into account results from the survey, staff recommendations, provincial environmental regulations, a survey to be carried out by a third-party, and board preferences, Plant said.
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This has been a “very political issue” around the board table, Plant said. The board is split on the best way to handle biosolids.
Even so, the province is requiring the district to look at land application as a option in its long-term plan.
“The rest of the province, every other area in B.C. that I’m aware of, does have land application as one of their methods of dealing with biosolids,” Plant said. But at this point, the district is unable to point to a definitive workable option, he said. “We are in a bit of a challenging situation.”
Those opposed to putting biosolids on land point to scientific literature backing up their concerns about the impacts of various chemicals.
Meanwhile, because it has nowhere else to send them, the CRD is burying biosolids at Hartland landfill, which is against provincial rules.
The original plan to ship biosolids to a Richmond plant to be used as fuel in the production of cement fell through.
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2024 - 03:19 AM.