John Newcomb advises:
A large, detailed information report is just now available about potential Eastside wastewater treatment sites as an online “technically feasible sites” document (can also be downloaded as a 40 MB pdf):
From that document, it is apparent that site-selection criteria ignore the high risk nature of sewage and sludge plants, and the evaluation needs safety, danger and threat criteria, because some sewage plant processes such as anaerobic bio-digester stacks are high-risk and warrant very wide buffers from nearby homes.
So while sites like Haro Woods are noted as being high-seismic risk, there are also other safety, hazard and dangers that are not part of the CRD-Eastside committee evaluation criteria.
Eastside’s plan is for the public to come to their May 30/31 consultations, having looked at the document and ready to debate one site versus another. However, CBRA should shift the focus of the debate to about what is missing from the site evaluation criteria, and to compare sewage plant risk sites and technologies.
The upcoming public consultations are at:
- Saturday, May 30, 10am at University of Victoria, Cadboro Commons Building, and
- Sunday, May 31, 10am at the Victoria Conference Centre.
Register no later than 29 May at this website.
John Newcomb
