It doesn’t have approval to build on the site, but Seaterra has selected its preferred company to build a new sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point.
Harbour Resource Partners has been picked to design, build and partially finance the planned treatment plant as well as the Victoria Harbour crossing and the marine outfall.
Seaterra commission chairwoman Brenda Eaton said HRP’s proposal is within the planned budget, which is significant given that it represents about a third of the $783-million sewage treatment project budget.
“While we’ve always been confident that we were going to bring the project in on budget, to actually have a hard and fast bid for a third of the project that comes in on budget is very good news for us.”
Details including costs, architectural and technical details will be released after a final agreement is reached — estimated to take four to eight weeks, Eaton said. However, no contract will be signed until the site is confirmed.
HRP’s design includes allowance for future capacity sufficient to meet the region’s needs well beyond 2065. Until it’s needed, the extra capacity could be used to handle infiltration from stormwater during wet weather.
“This particular proposal came in with capacity that we can expand into should we need it in the future,” Eaton said.
Eaton said the design also includes space and piping for future installation of ultraviolet and oxidization systems.
“So the plant that we build … will be piped and wired for those kinds of system enhancements should the CRD decide in the future it wants to go in that direction or should regulation require [it],” she said.
“The UV deals with the pharmaceutical issue and oxidization deals with some of the metals. That has not been required at this stage of the game, but we know that’s a concern for lots of people in this region.”
Harbour Resource Partners was selected from a short list of three compliant bids in response to the McLoughlin treatment plant request for proposals.
The CRD appealed to the province for help last month after Esquimalt turned down its rezoning application for a sewage treatment plant at the former oil tank farm at McLoughlin Point. Council further resolved to change the zoning to specifically disallow a treatment plant there.
Eaton said it is prudent for Seaterra, the non-elected body appointed to oversee the sewage treatment program, to proceed to the next stage of negotiations with HRP, even though the use of the McLoughlin site is still in dispute.
“Other levels of government — the CRD and the municipality of Esquimalt and the province — need to sort out the siting issues. Of course, we’ve got our job to do, which is to keep this project on track and move it along, so that if they reach that conclusion, we’re ready to go and we haven’t lost any more time,” she said.
