Greater Vancouver Regional District’s Liquid Waste Management Plan
Dec 15, 2015
GVRD• 21 municipalities & one electoral area• Delivery of cost-effective utilities such as water,
sewerage & drainage, & solid waste management• Environmental stewardship & livability in the region• Area size (Land & Water) : 329,202 hectares
• Population: 2 million• Annual population growth rate: 1.6%
Historical Context
• The Sewerage and Drainage District and the first sewer plan date from 1914
• The Rawn report recommended a sewerage plan for the growing region in the 1950s
• The current LWMP provides a new path for the future
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050 2070
Mill
ion
litr
es
pe
r d
ay
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
4,000,000
4,500,000
5,000,000
Po
pu
lati
on
Sewage Volumes
Population
Estimated Volume of Untreated Sewage Discharge
VSA Operational Plan
First Sewerage Treatment Plants
Annacis Is. Sewerage
Treatment Plants
LWMP Background
• The LWMP is a plan under the Provincial Waste Management Act
• Stage 3 and Addendum approved by all municipalities and GVRD - March 2001
• Provincial Minister approved LWMP – April 2002• Federal agencies have participated in
development of the Plan• BIEAP / FREMP partnership used to address
Federal issues
LWMP StrategiesLWMP Strategies
1. Conserve Resources
2. Maintain Infrastructure and Stretch Capacity
3. Maximize Environmental Benefit per Dollar Spent
Strategic Context
• 1. Conserve Resources– Pollution prevention– Water conservation– Stormwater as a resource
Strategic Context
• 2. Maintain Infrastructure and Stretch Capacity– $12 billion dollars in existing wastewater
assets
Strategic Context
• 3. Maximize Environmental Benefit per Dollar Spent– Limited financial resources and affordability
context
LWMP Management Process Based On:
• Appropriate monitoring program
• Defensible Triggers
• Acceptable Risk
• Reasonable Options
• Mutually Agreeable Timelines
Process Context
• A science-based approach is needed
• There must be an understanding of environmental risk
• The cost and benefits of options must be considered
• The LWMP incorporates these into a formal upgrading trigger process
District Board to select appropriate responses in
consultation with Ministry of Environment,
Lands, and Parks & Environment Canada
District Board to select appropriate responses in
consultation with Ministry of Environment,
Lands, and Parks & Environment Canada
NO
LWMP Upgrading Trigger Process
Discharge(s) meets Water Quality
Objectives and other established criteria
Discharge(s) meets Water Quality
Objectives and other established criteria
Define and evaluate risk in consultation with
Ministry of Environment, Lands
and Parks & Environment Canada
Define and evaluate risk in consultation with
Ministry of Environment, Lands
and Parks & Environment Canada
Assess options, costs, and benefits
Assess options, costs, and benefits
ActionsActions
YES
MonitoringMonitoring
Ongoing Review Ongoing Review by Environmental by Environmental
Monitoring Monitoring CommitteeCommittee
Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment System
Air
Effluent
Solid
Atmosphere
Surface Water
Land
Re-use
Release Receiving Environment
TreatmentCollectionInfluentProducts & Pre-disposal
Sources
Treatment Plants
• Established base level of treatment– Secondary to river– Primary to marine
• Upgrading based on environmental need and triggers
• Addendum No. 1 clarifies growth-driven upgrading at Iona and Lions Gate
Recommendations - WWTPsRecommendations - WWTPs
• Base expansions for – growth, renewal, and substantial
compliance• Investigate and monitor high loading sources• Assess copper reductions via water treatment• Evaluate U.V. at Annacis, Lulu, Northwest
Langley• Monitor conditions and re-examine issues
Source Management• Why:
– Protect workers, infrastructure, WWTP processes– Improve biosolids quality– Stretch capacity of existing systems– Reduce effect on the environment
• Sectors:– Industrial– Commercial & institutional– Residential
Source and Demand Management
• Emphasis on Pollution Prevention
• Control of Toxic Substances Discharged to Sewer
• Consistent with Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999)
Source Control
Sewer Use By-
law
Pollution Prevention
Local Limits
Methodology
Water Conservati
on
Public Education
Pollutant Reduction
Substance Prohibition
Reduction at the Source
Sector Control
Programs
• Promotion of water conservation
• Eliminate stormwater discharges to sanitary sewers
• GVWD program to reduce copper levels
• Education programs targeting green buildings, sustainable communities, residential, commercial and institutional practices
Source and Demand Management
Recycled Biosolids by Market Sector in 2000
8%
58%
32%
< 1%
< 1%1%1%
Gravel PitLandfill ClosureSilvicultureMine ReclamationSoil ProductsRanchesLandscaping
Total recycled in 2000:55,400 tonnes
8%
58%
32%
< 1%
< 1%1%1%
Gravel PitLandfill ClosureSilvicultureMine ReclamationSoil ProductsRanchesLandscaping
Total recycled in 2000:55,400 tonnes
Environmental Management
• Designated WLAP water use protection is paramount
• A receiving environment science-based approach
• A formal process to determine upgrading needs
• A standing multi-agency Environmental Monitoring Committee
GVRD’s LWMP Environmental Management Program
• Receiving environment effects monitoring
• Discharge characterization
• Ambient monitoring
• Risk assessments
• Options evaluation
EMP Monitoring Components
• WWTPs (5 Plants) - monitor effluent & receiving environment
• CSOs (50)
• Recreational beaches (32 beaches with 120 sites)
• Stormwater (130 watersheds)
• Regional monitoring
• Municipal monitoring programs
GVRD’s LWMP Receiving Environment Monitoring
– water and sediment chemistry– benthic invertebrate community– acute and chronic toxicity– bioaccumulation & biomagnification– habitat impairment & community alteration
Receiving Environment Investigations
• Reviewed by Environmental Monitoring Committee
• Detailed environmental fate and effect studies
• Long-term monitoring programs
• All receiving waterways in the region