The Capital Regional District (CRD) has faced criticism for its delay in implementing potential long-term solutions for wastewater management in the South Island. The CRD’s ban on spreading treated sewage on its lands has been in place for over a decade and has been upheld numerous times. However, the construction of a facility to dispose of the dried, pellet-shaped byproduct has not been prioritized, leaving experts like Philippe Lucas frustrated.
Lucas, an official from Biosolids Free B.C., believes that if evidence-based and safe solutions had been implemented earlier, the region could have already been benefiting from biochar production or gasification.
While long-term options for the disposal of dried pellets past 2025 have been presented to the CRD, there has been a lack of discussion on the matter. Many of these options involve strategies that are already in use, including land application as the primary or backup strategy.
With short-term plans facing challenges and a potenial wait of up to ten years for a permanent thermal facility at Hartland Landfill, Lucas finds it concerning that no new strategies have been proposed. He believes it is frustrating to constantly hear about reports stating that test facilities are still years away.
To address the situation, the CRD has approved an expedited timeline for the construction of a thermal pilot plant. The need for a pilot project is justifiedthe uniqueness of the CRD’s Class A biosolids and the limited number of functional thermal facilities in North America. Respondents to an expression of interest portal are being considered as potential builders for the pilot facility.
Currently, the CRD’s main plan is to ship biosolids to a Lafarge cement plant in Richmond, where they are used as an alternative fuel source. However, issues at the cement plant have caused delays in transporting the biosolids. Despite the challenges, Lucas believes the Lafarge strategy is the best short-term solution.
Opposition groups,such as the Peninsula Biosolids Coalition, have expressed concerns about the environmental and health impacts of land application, particularly regarding the presence of pharmaceuticals, contaminants, and forever chemicals in biosolids.
In order to make progress, these groups call for a prompt review and the establishment of a pilot site, criticizing the slow and risk-averse bureaucratic approach taken thus far. They emphasize the need for robust testing to fully understand the impact of biosolids.
While the CRD and government authorities maintain that land application is safe and environmentally beneficial, critics urge a more cautious approach to ensure public health and environmental protection.
Please note that this is a rewritten and formatted version of the given article, retaining only the factual information provided.
