- LANDFILLED SLUDGE/BIOSOLIDS AMOUNTS CLARIFIED BY CRD
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HARBOUR FLOATPLANE SAFETY CONCERN OVER MCLOUGHLIN POINT SEWAGE PLANT SITE
ARESST: In response to email of my concern about float plane safety in vicinity of a McLoughlin Point sewage plant, received reply below from CRD's sewage project manager Tony Brcic. Brcic doesn't appear to address my central point that even though the official take-off flight path zone may be adhered to by floatplanes, my personal experience looking down at McLoughlin Point site from the floatplanes leads me to believe that the actual landing flight path has been a very low altitude approach over the sewage plant site - see attached harbour traffic map.
Email from Brcic:
Dear Mr. Newcomb,
Please accept this reply to your emails dated December 12, 2010.
The current bulk petroleum storage zoning for the McLoughlin Point site allows structures 10 metres high. The proposed height of the McLoughlin Point wastewater treatment facility will be within the current zoning. The previous fuel storage tanks on the site are reported to have been higher than 10 metres.
CRD’s recent discussions with the Harbour Users Commission and aviation industry indicate that they have no concerns with the proposed McLoughlin facility. It should be noted that an agreed upon ‘no fly zone’ previously existed over the McLoughlin Point site when it was used for fuel storage. The float planes currently maintain that same flight path. The aviation industry would likely agree to a ‘no fly zone’ if it were required for the proposed McLoughlin facility.
In the unlikely event that a float plane did crash into the site of the proposed McLoughlin Point facility, we offer the following information:
1) The float planes are very light and move slow during landing and take-off. As result, these vessels cause minimal damage to ground structures when accidents do occur.
2) The proposed primary clarifiers will receive the raw sewage at this facility. These clarifiers are proposed to be below ground. Therefore, they are not in any danger of being ruptured by the impact from a float plane.
3) The proposed secondary process is biological aerated filters (BAF) within concrete tanks. These tanks will be concrete with a minimum wall thickness of 450 mm. They will be able to easily withstand an impact from a float plane without catastrophic tank failure.
4) The proposed finished grade of the site will be approximately 5 metres above sea level and it is very unlikely that the facility will be impacted by a marine vessel.
5) The chemicals on-site would include aluminum sulfate and polymer coagulant agents for the primary process and mild acids and caustics for cleaning treatment media. These will be stored in a block building within secured tanks that include containment features. Aluminum sulfate is not toxic as it is typically used as a coagulant in water filtration plants to produce drinking water.
6) The power facilities in the vicinity of the treatment plant along Victoria View Road are proposed to be below ground along with all of the other utilities required for the facility and they will pose no hazard to the aviation industry.
7) The telemetry and communication equipment proposed for the McLoughlin facility are very similar to the equipment that currently exists throughout the Capital Regional District and it will not impact marine or aviation transport.
8) There will be no emissions from this facility that will impact marine or aviation transport.
The CRD has expended considerable effort over the last few years to engage the various stakeholders for the wastewater project including but not limited to the; general public, First Nations, Township of Esquimalt, City of Victoria, Harbour Users Commission, Victoria Harbour Authority, Department of National Defence, Ministry of Environment, Environment Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA).
The CRD will continue to meet its obligations required by CEAA and the Environmental Management Act (more specifically Liquid Waste Management Plan Amendment #8 as approved by the Minister of Environment in August 2010).
Please contact the undersigned if you require any additional information in this regard.
Tony Brcic, PEng
Project Manager, Wastewater Treatment Project
Capital Regional District
625 Fisgard Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2S6
T: 250.360.3067 | F:250.360.3270 | C: 250 216 0722
www.crd.bc.ca
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LANDFILLED SLUDGE/BIOSOLIDS AMOUNTS CLARIFIED BY CRD
CRD's Environmental Sustainability Manager Larisa Hutcheson reply to questions sent about the inconsistency in reporting
the sludge-biosolids amounts in CRD's 2009 solid waste report and the Saanich Peninsula Wastewater Treatment report.
I'll be emailing her in the New Year with follow-up questions about the sewage sludge disposal. Her reply might raise
other questions in minds of ARESST members?
Questions to Larisa:
1. Why the huge drop in sludge at Hartland landfill between 2008 and 2009 (1,628 tons down to 124 tons, graphic attached)
2. Why did SWTP report say that sludge amount was 3500 tons ("residual solids", page 1) per year?
Response from Larisa:
Hello Mr. Newcomb;
The following is in response to your questions around sludge disposal quantities at Hartland. We have revised the tonnages for the two categories of wastewater residuals received for 2008 as follows:
WASTEWATER RESIDUALS RECEIVED AT HARTLAND | |||
Annual Tonnage | |||
2008 | 2009 | ||
Original | Revised | ||
Screenings/Sludge | 5,371 | 6,859 | 4,781 |
Biosolids | 1,628 | 140 | 124 |
Total | 6,999 | 6,999 | 4,905 |
- In 2008, 1,488 tonnes of Screenings/Sludge were miscoded as Biosolids by drivers at the automated scale.
- In 2009 the quantity of Screenings/Sludge received at Hartland decreased by 2,078 which is primarily due to some of this material being redirected by the producer to a composting facility outside the Region.
- Residuals received at Hartland from CRD facilities has remained steady over this two year period.
- Biosolids received at Hartland are not landfilled, they are cured on site and distributed as PenGrow.
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Larisa Hutcheson
Larisa Hutcheson | PEngGeneral Manager, Environmental Sustainability
Capital Regional District
625 Fisgard St, PO BOX 1000,
Victoria, BC V8W 2S6
T. 250.360.3085 | F. 250.360.3079
C. 250.514.6525
email: lhutcheson@crd.bc.ca
