The Town of Gibsons unveiled its new wastewater treatment plant to the public Tuesday afternoon.
The plant, located on Stewart Road, was constructed during the past year and a half and has been designed to service the ultimate build-out population of 10,000 people, according to a news release from the Town of Gibsons.
"Increased capacity to support growth was only one of several objectives for the new plant," said the news release. "Equally important objectives include improved effluent water quality, reduction in odour levels and improved operational efficiency and safety."
Mayor Barry Janyk touched on the improvements prior to the ribbon cutting to officially open the facility.
"This day is kind of like receiving a blender for a wedding present. It's not something you get really excited about. Opening up a wastewater treatment facility is not a sexy topic, but this day is about what it represents to the community," Janyk said. "I'll admit that we still have a few bugs to work out, but once that is done, we will have a modern, efficient and smell-free plant shortly."
Janyk paid homage to current staff and council, paying special recognition to the public works staff and director of municipal operations Bryan Shoji.
Shoji echoed Janyk's comments, saying the public works staff is "ecstatic to have the plant up and running."The new plant replaced the original plant that was constructed in the early 1970s and culminates a nine-year effort that began in 1997 with a preliminary design report.
The treatment process is fully automated and includes a fine screen with helix dewatering unit, vortex grit removal system with grit washer/classifier, a sequential batch reactor activated sludge system, rotary drum thickener, aerobic digesters and centrifuge sludge dewatering system.
The new process will double the previous treatment capacity to an average daily flow of 3,000 cu. m with a peak capacity of 6,750 cu. m per day.
The sludge that is removed from the wastewater stream is dewatered and transported to Construction Aggregates gravel pit in Sechelt where it is used for land reclamation purposes. The dewatering process has also effectively reduced trucking requirements by 200 per cent, leading to substantial cost savings and a reduction in vehicle emissions.
The final project cost is projected to be below the $5.2 million budget, which was partially funded by a $2.4 million Canada/B.C. infrastructure grant.
