$6.8 million wastewater wetland pilot project for Prince Rupert

A wetland wastewater treatment solution, which would be the first of its kind in the northwest, has been proposed for Prince Rupert at an estimated cost of more than $6.8 million for design, construction and five years of operation.

At its regular meeting on Feb. 7, Prince Rupert council heard about the pilot project which would service 100 houses in the Omineca area of the city. Once operational, the project can be expanded to include more.

A recent feasibility study identified eleven more areas in town where such facilities could be constructed into green space with no visual signs of waste or smell as the treatment occurs underground, Richard Pucci, director of operations and intergovernmental relations, said.

The outline of the naturalized wetland system to treat the city’s combined storm and sewer wastewater from the Omenica catchment area was presented in a report prepared by Pucci, explaining the “innovative” wastewater solution.

The suggested project will replace an aging pump station with an engineered wetland that would be biologically sustainable, low-cost, and low-maintenance. It will be considered both primary and secondary source treatment, Pucci said.

Wastewater treated at the new pump station facility will be monitored for treatment effectiveness and then pumped by a new lift station back into the existing sewer network for discharge through the existing city outfall, Pucci explained.

The majority cost of the contemplated venture is anticipated to be covered by grant money from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICP) under the Green Infrastructure - Environment Quality stream. The grant application will cover more than 73 per cent of the nearly $5.5 million construction cost.

More than $613,000 has already been allocated in the 2022 budget to complete engineering designs with an additional $700,000 for operations and monitoring following the completion of construction.

“If successful, the city would receive approximately $4,030,000 in grant funds and would be committing to expend the remaining $1,456,500 required in 2023 to complete the construction of the facility,” Pucci stated.

The effectiveness of project operations will be monitored for a year so it can be proven to provincial agencies for the city to then decide if more locations throughout the city are appropriate.