There should be properly filtered wastewater when the rains finally come as the Capital Regional District (CRD) expects the construction of its Arbutus Attenuation Tank to be completed this summer.
The 5,000-cubic-metre concrete underground tank, which NAC Constructors Ltd. began constructing in the summer of 2019, will store wastewater flow during rainstorms and play an instrumental role in reducing the number of sewer overflows in the District of Saanich.
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The project is currently in its final commissioning and testing phase, with final remediation of a manhole and testing for operational fill and odour control having started the week of July 19, according to Zoe Gray with CRD corporate communications.
Gray warned that this leg of the project has the potential to temporarily increase noise and odour levels in the construction area around Haro Woods Park. The tank will use negative air pressure and a carbon absorber system to contain and suppress further potential odours.
Once completed, the tank will serve to store excess wastewater and empty it in the CRD’s existing sewer tank via the East Coast Interceptor trunk sewer system. From there, the wastewater is directed to the Clover Point Pump Station, before going on to the McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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The tank will undergo automatic self-cleansing and inspection by CRD staff after each use, ensuring that it is properly cleaned and fully drained.
While work on the tank itself is set to be finished by summer’s end, landscaping and restoration of the tank’s site will continue into the fall.
For more information on the project, visit crd.bc.ca/project.
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