Anyone who wants to put a sewage plant at Clover Point in Victoria will have a hard time convincing nearby residents it’s a good idea.
Some voiced fears of methane-gas explosions and others were horrified at the thought of years of construction work.
But most who were interviewed Saturday said they could not see the logic in putting an industrial facility, such as a sewage-treatment plant, in one of the region’s landmark beauty spots, a magnet for locals and tourists alike.
“I don’t want to be one of those people who say: ‘Not in my backyard,’ ” said Dallas Road resident Mollie Jesperson. “But it seems so sad when there are so many people who use this area.”
Anne McGrath, another Dallas Road resident, was horrified and stunned to think anyone would even consider constructing a treatment plant at Clover Point, used and enjoyed by so many.
“I see the beauty out there and it works, it really works,” McGrath said.
Her friend, Sean Sawh, said of all the places in Greater Victoria, he could see no good reason for a sewage plant at Clover Point, crowded with people in Saturday’s sunshine. “It’s not that right spot at the end of the day,” Sawh said.
Peter Rassenti was dumbfounded.
“Why they would choose this particular spot, I don’t know,” he said. “It seems foolish to me.”
Brian Lepine said he has heard of one survey that found more people visit Clover Point than Beacon Hill Park.
“This is just not a good location; it’s a park, and a park is a park is a park,” Lepine said.
After watching the City of Victoria struggle to build something as comparatively simple as the Johnson Street Bridge, he has little confidence any sewage-plant construction will go smoothly.
“This is a community place that will be fractured for many, many years if they build it there,” Lepine said.
Dwayne Ollech said better, simpler, cheaper alternatives have already been examined, and he would like to see the provincial government get involved. “If we are going to have it, we are going to have it, but it should not be at Clover Point,” Ollech said.
The Capital Regional District is considering a plan to build plants at two sewage-treatment sites. Clover Point in Victoria and two sites in Esquimalt — McLoughlin Point or nearby Macaulay Point — are all being considered.
The two-plant proposal has been pitched as a compromise.
Esquimalt was originally selected and approved for a single plant at McLoughlin Point. It’s an abandoned industrial site and had already been zoned for sewage treatment. But in 2014, councillors there refused to grant zoning variances and stopped construction dead.
Currently, CRD sewage is screened for solids and pumped into the Strait of Juan de Fuca from a station at Clover Point. But federal regulations require sewage treatment.
Cost estimates range from $788 million to $1.1 billion. Ottawa is offering $253.4 million, an offer good until Sept. 30. The province has promised $248 million.
