Impacts & Goals of Wastewater Treatment

We help ensure the protection of our environment when we commit to sewage treatment. Environmental impact, along with social and economic concerns, is one of the three criteria of the CRD’s triple bottom line methodology.

Impacts Lead to Goals

When planning for wastewater treatment, environmental sustainability is defined by four major environmental goals. These goals take into account the impacts that treatment plants can have on the environment.

1. Minimize Disruption to Natural Areas

Barnacles on a rock, intertidal zone

We’re planning wastewater treatment which will avoid the following scenarios:

  • Removal or diminishing of wetlands and wetland values
  • Disruption of rare or endangered species or rare habitats
  • Removal or disruption of fish spawning and rearing areas
  • Disturbance of sensitive marine and terrestrial habitat areas
  • Disturbance of critical green/blue space areas
  • Removal of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve

2. Create Opportunities for Reuse of Treated Effluent

Treated effluent could be used to irrigate golf courses, thereby reducing our water use

We will investigate new technologies and locate wastewater treatment sites so as to:

  • Maximize potential for water reuse
  • Provide good proximity to reuse sites
  • Provide opportunities for stream and groundwater augmentation
  • Provide opportunities for environmental improvement and mitigation

3. Achieve the Lowest Possible Net Energy Use

Resource Recovery could lower net greenhouse gas emissions

We'll plan to employ treatment technologies that can:

  • Maximize the use of gravity flow
  • Use treatment technology with the lowest net energy requirements
  • Provide opportunities for energy development through heating and cooling systems

4. Create Opportunities for Resource Recovery

Evergreen Stormwater irrigation, Portland Oregon

We’re planning wastewater treatment which will:

  • Maximize the use of biosolids in land reclamation, silviculture and agriculture
  • Provide opportunities  for diversified biosolids use
  • Reduce discharge of untreated wet weather flows
  • Reduce discharge of sanitary sewer overflows
  • Reduce the emission of greenhouse gases
  • Reduce the transportation requirements for site access or materials transport