Minister orders action on Victoria's sewage plan

B.C.'s Minister of Environment has ordered Greater Victoria to provide more details about its troubled sewage treatment plan,along withrequesting changes in the planning workdone so far.

So far, the Capital Regional District has missed one deadline to provide the ministry with an update of its plans and a subsequent report did not include all of the information requested by the province.

Thedistrict has been criticized for dumping 129 million litres of raw sewage each day into the nearby Juan de Fuca Strait through a deep pipeline, making it one of the few remaining major cities in North America to dump untreated waste into the ocean.

'He's just reminding us we did not deliver everything he wanted.' Judy Brownoff, chair of the regional sewage treatment committee

In 2006, B.C.'s Minister of Environment Barry Penner ordered the Capital Regional District to develop a plan for secondary treatment of its raw sewage, but conflicting visions for the plan among local municipal leaders have delayed progress.

Now, Barry Penner has written the region's sewage treatment committee, ordering it to provide those details by the end of June.

Committee not worried by request

The chair of the region's sewage treatment committee, Judy Brownoff, said she's not worried by the letter and believes the minister's deadline will be met.

"This letter says he's in support.He's just reminding us we did not deliver everything he wanted by the end of last year, but he's also given us till June, which I think is helpful," said Brownoff.

Penner's letter also encouraged the group to reconsider its decision on what to do with some of the waste.

The committee had decided it would not spread any biosolids on agricultural land, butinstead use themas fuel for a cement plant.

Brownoff said the minister's request to reconsider will be discussed at the committee's meeting later on Wednesday.