December 16, 2010

- DR SHAUN PECK'S SEWAGE TREATMENT PRESENTATION
- SEWAGE PLAN TAKES STEP FORWARD
SEWAGE PRICE TAG LIKELY $228 FOR SAANICH HOMEOWNERS
OAK BAY: "SEWAGE CHARGE DETAILS NEEDED: MAYOR"
- LETTER: PHASE IN INTRODUCTION OF SEWAGE TREATMENT
VANCOUVER ISLAND'S LARGEST METAL RECYCLER SOLD
-  WASTE NOT (organics in landfill)

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DR SHAUN PECK'S TERRIFIC SEWAGE TREATMENT PRESENTATION - NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING!

Dr. Shaun Peck has done many sewage treatment presentations to community organizations, having developed an excellent
sewage treatment presentation. Shaun's latest update presentation is an incredible 42-slide overview with science, health
and public policy issues, and he has incorporated Dr. Jack Littlepage's great What is Unique About Victoria presentation that
was the keynote at our ARESST AGM last month:

An update on the CRD’s plans AND concerns about the proposed land based
sewage treatment plants
Dr Shaun Peck
CRD Regional Medical Health Officer
1989-1995
Extra slides thanks to Jack Littlepage PhD
December 7th 2010

Click here to download Peck's 9 MB pdf presentation
Comments and questions about the presentation to Dr. Shaun Peck: shpeck@shaw.ca

AND - CONGRATS TO DR JACK LITTLEPAGE ON RECEIVING PERINBAUM AWARD!

Dr. Jack Littlepage, of UVic's Centre for Global Studies,  was given the 2010 Lewis Perinbam Award by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) in November. Named for a former executive director of WUSC and vice-president of the Canadian International Development Agency, the award recognizes grassroots achievements in improving life in developing countries and expanding awareness of those countries among the Canadian public. The citation describes Littlepage as having "worked tirelessly to establish sustainable marine aquaculture or mariculture industries in Brazil, countries in Africa and the Caribbean."

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SEWAGE PLAN TAKES STEP FORWARD

Natalie North
Victoria News
December 14, 2010
Click here to send letter to Victoria News
 - Click here to send letter to Oak Bay News (title is Wastewater planning continues)

The region’s sewage plan continues to flow forward in Greater Victoria.

The plan for optimizing the potential to recover usable resources from wastewater was approved and sent to the Ministry of Environment by the Capital Regional District last week.On Dec. 8, the Capital Regional District board voted to send the plan to the province. Resource recovery and use falls under the already-approved core area wastewater treatment program.

“We’re going to have all of (the cost allocation) tied down by the end of next year,” said Judy Brownoff, Core Area Liquid Waste Management chair.

Every household in Victoria connected to the sewer will likely pay $352 in additional property taxes every year for the project.

The project is slated for completion in 2016.

“Like all things liquid waste,” Brownoff said, “there will be refinements.”

nnorth@saanichnews.com

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/111890914.html

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ARESST: Price was discussed in June 2010 media release from the CRD sewage crew. Below has no mention of who pays the $500.

SEWAGE PRICE TAG LIKELY $228 FOR SAANICH HOMEOWNERS

Saanich News
December 15, 2010 
Click here to send a letter to Saanich News

The region’s sewage plan continues to flow forward in Greater Victoria.

The plan for optimizing the potential to recover usable resources from wastewater was approved and sent to the Ministry of Environment.

On Dec. 8, the Capital Regional District board voted to send the plan to the province.

Resource recovery and use falls under the already-approved Core Area Wastewater Treatment Program. It includes such aspects as the capture of biogas and biomethane, using dried biosolids as fuel and making use of heat produced by effluent. The plan also looks at water conservation and re-use, the project’s carbon footprint and revenue potential.

As for the overall cost to homeowners of treating the region’s sewage and creating resource recovery elements, sewage committee chair Judy Brownoff said the expectation is to have cost allocation determined by the end of 2011. “We’re going to have all of (the cost allocation) tied down by the end of next year,” said Brownoff,

Every household in Saanich connected to the sewer will likely pay $228 in additional property taxes every year for the project. Another option priced at $241 per year was met with less enthusiasm.

An official vote hasn’t taken place, but the lower-cost option was preferred, Brownoff said.

“Like all things liquid waste,” Brownoff said, “there will be refinements.”

nnorth@saanichnews.com
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OAK BAY: "SEWAGE CHARGE DETAILS NEEDED: MAYOR"

Vivian Moreau
Oak Bay News
December 14, 2010

Oak Bay property owners could see a change on their utility bills as of Feb. 1.

Utility bills will be re-jigged to clearly show Capital Regional District sewer debt charges. Currently, sewer debt is split between annual property tax assessments, and utility bills which are sent out three times a year.

With Oak Bay homeowners potentially facing increases of hundreds of dollars per year to finance a regional wastewater treatment plant, Mayor Christopher Causton said at a recent council meeting that utility charges need to be spelled out more clearly.

Although the projected cost of the project has fluctuated, the latest word from the CRD is that a regional treatment plant – mandated by the provincial Ministry of Environment 10 years ago – will cost $780 million to build.

Projected costs to households for the project have been tied to sewage flow statistics.

Oak Bay has some of the highest outflow numbers in the region.


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LETTER: PHASE IN INTRODUCTION OF SEWAGE TREATMENT

Letters
Tony Rose
Times Colonist
December 15, 2010

There is a sensible approach to sewage treatment. The status quo is not acceptable and neither is a $1-billion investment. A pilot project of $200 million, still very significant, should be undertaken to treat a percentage of the water.

Water treatment is largely modular. You just add units of the same size. The investment can be staggered over a 25-year period if it proves successful and the technology can be improved as each unit is added. The units do not have to be in one location, simplifying the collection system.

Tony Rose
Victoria


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ARESST: News story below: "Steel Pacific’s Upper Harbour site has been mentioned as a prime location for the capital region’s wastewater treatment plans, specifically as a location to treat by-product sludge."

VANCOUVER ISLAND'S LARGEST METAL RECYCLER SOLD TO AMERICAN COMPANY

Darron Kloster,
Times Colonist
December 16, 2010
letters@timescolonist.com

Steel Pacific Recycling, the largest metal recycler on Vancouver Island, is being sold to a Portland, Ore. company.

Schnitzer Steel announced it has entered into a an agreement to acquire all of the assets of Steel Pacific, which include its main processing plant and waterfront shipping point in Victoria’s Upper Harbour, as well as depots in Duncan, Nanaimo and Courtenay and two facilities in Campbell River.

Steel Pacific is owned by Barry Waters and Andrew Ketch and was formed when Harper’s Recycling, a Duncan-based company since 1957, acquired Victoria’s Budget Steel from Fred Berman in 2005. The merged company operated under the name Selkirk Recycling until 2007 and since then under the Steel Pacific Recycling banner.

No financial details of the acquisition were released, but it is the second deal that Schnitzer has made for a B.C. metals recycler this week. On Tuesday, the company announced it was buying Vancouver-based Amix Salvage and Sales, which has two sites in Surrey and others in Nanaimo, Chilliwack, Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

Schnitzer has been a long-time buyer of Steel Pacific’s chipped metal, which it ships by barge to processing plants in Washington and Oregon to make construction rebar, wire rod and auto parts like wheel rims.

Steel Pacific employs between 80 and 100 people and has a fleet of more than 30 trucks. It handles hundreds of thousands of tonnes of metal, wood waste, batteries, drywall, plastics and other recyclables and is the weight leader of waste recycling on the Island and third in volume behind the Victoria and Nanaimo regional districts.

There was no immediate word from either side on how operations will be affected in Victoria.

Steel Pacific’s Upper Harbour site has been mentioned as a prime location for the capital region’s wastewater treatment plans, specifically as a location to treat by-product sludge.

Steel Pacific has invested heavily in its main yard operations in the past two years with new offices, paved roadways and a $400,000 storm water drainage system.

Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., established 105 years ago, is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of recycled ferrous metal products in the U.S. with 46 operating facilities in 14 states and Puerto Rico. It has seven export facilities on both the west and east coasts and produces about 800,000 tons of metal a year. Schnitzer also sells reconditioned auto parts through 46 self-serve facilities.

The company’s shares trade on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Schnitzer stock was down 71 cents, or 1.12 per cent, at mid-day trading to $62.41 on Wednesday.

Schnitzer CEO Tamara Lundgren said in a statement the acquisition of Steel Pacific “provides continued growth in Western Canada. Together with Schnitzer’s recently announced acquisition of Amix Salvage we are adding to our export -based recycling platform to better serve our customers around the world.”

“Schnitzer Steel and Steel Pacific Recycling have been working closely together for many years,” said Don Hamaker, president of Schnitzer Steel’s metals recycling division. “The strength of that working relationship and Steel Pacific Recycling’s historic emphasis on customer and community relations will remain at the forefront of our business.”

Waters and Ketch were no immediately available for interviews, but issued a joint statement.

“I know our customers and employees will be well-served by Schnitzer Steel’s commitment to operational excellence and sustainability,” said Waters.

“We are excited to join Schnitzer Steel and appreciate that the core values of our business are so closely aligned,” added Ketch.

http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=be8fbb58-58c1-4189-9e24-227b0a31407a

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ARESST: " The move to reducing compostable materials is designed to assist the CRD with its eventual goal of burning waste to create energy and keep the landfill sustainable. More likely, CRD fears prospect of massive sewage sludge needing compost to make it rich enough to produce energy, and/or that the sewage sludge by itself will mean that the landfill is getting fuller more quickly.

WASTE NOT

Monday Magazine
16 December 2010

For those getting excited about being forced to compost those wasteful kitchen scraps, you’ll have to wait just a little longer. The CRD’s Kitchen Scraps Collection program, which would see all people living in the district forced to separate compostable materials from garbage, was met with great public support and was supposed to take effect as of May 2012. After lengthy discussions with Victoria’s waste management union, and hearing from surrounding municipal councils, the CRD has decided to delay the implementation of the program for 18 months, meaning Vic won’t be fully compost-friendly until the end of 2013.

“The program had a variety of concerns from municipalities and taxpayers, including the fact that fees will be higher, and strict regulations will have to be put in place,” says CRD board chair and Victoria City councillor Geoff Young. “We can’t have an effective program unless everybody participates, though, so the City has to work through some of these issues before we can be successful.”

The program would mean a change for those working in waste management, and could see an adjustment in tasks or even job numbers. Currently, the Hartland Landfill charges $107 per tonne of solid waste. With the program, that number could go up to nearly $200 per tonne due to handling changes. The move to reducing compostable materials is designed to assist the CRD with its eventual goal of burning waste to create energy and keep the landfill sustainable.

http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/the-week-december-16/

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