Environmental Protection Made Clear
Our Commitment
The Capital Region, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is blessed with the wild beauty of the Pacific Coast. Implementing wastewater treatment will help ensure that with predicted population increases in the CRD Region, our oceans and watersheds will continue to host biologically diverse marine and riparian life. We have protected the Juan de Fuca Strait thus far through our Marine Monitoring and Source Control programs; wastewater treatment will help protect this marine environment into the future.
Population Increases & Source Control
According to scientific and technical reviews commissioned by the CRD, the environmental "footprint" of wastewater discharge in our region is predicted to increase proportionately with an increase in population. The overall quality of the wastewater will also affect the footprint.
The CRD's program to evaluate the effects of sewage in marine environments is one of the more comprehensive programs being implemented anywhere in the world.
Source control efforts, which help prevent pollutants from entering our wastewater system, will help reduce levels of certain contaminants. The CRD will continue to support and expand these programs. However, with urban growth comes an increased risk to public health and the environment from our wastewater disposal. Implementing secondary treatment measures will help protect our marine ecosystems for future generations.
More than Simple Treatment
Treatment itself is a significant step, but we want to make it work even harder. At the CRD we are exploring technologies which will provide environmental benefits during the treatment process itself. Take a look through the following pages to learn about greenhouse gas management, biosolids reclamation and energy recovery.