This greenfield secondary treatment plant will replace an existing primary treatment plant. New federal and provincial regulations require the upgrade of all primary treatment plants. The existing primary plant removes only 40 to 60 per cent of suspended organic matter in the wastewater which, after primary treatment, is discharged directly into Burrard Inlet—a matter of concern for some environmentalists—and is located on land leased from the Squamish Nation. The new secondary plant will be able to remove over 90 per cent of organic matter and will be located two kilometres east of the existing plant. Increased plant capacity will allow up to 320 million litres per day to be treated under storm conditions.
Construction officially began in late August of 2018. The new plant is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020, and the existing primary plant will be de-constructed once the new plant is in service.
