THE Kitimat-Stikine regional district is going to spend just over $1.1 million to protect its $3.5 million Queensway sewer lagoon and treatment facility bordering the Skeena River along Queensway.
Continued erosion along the Skeena River is putting the facility at risk with the potential of untreated sewage into the river, the regional district said in an application to senior governments for financial assistance.
That application resulted in $374,333 coming from the federal government and the same amount from the province.
Regional district ratepayers in the area will pickup the remainder listed at $374,335.
“There is still a lot of pre-construction work and approvals to work through. The earliest I see actual construction proceeding would be a January-February 2018 construction window,” said regional district administrator Bob Marcellin of the project.
A BC Hydro transmission tower and poles are also at risk because of erosion from the Skeena River in that location, and the regional district is in early discussions with the provincial crown corporation to combine efforts and share costs where possible, he said.
Approximately 10,000 metres of rip-rap rock material will be needed to construct a protection structure of approximately 400 metres in length.
The project has been planned for several years, spurred by a review which determined that since the 1930s, erosion along the banks of the Skeena River amounted to three metres a year.
“The 2007 high waters resulted in the erosion of up to 25 metres of land adjacent to the treatment facility,” the regional district noted of floods that year.
“Subsequent high water events have also resulted in the loss of additional lands.”
“The 2012 freshet resulted in additional loss of land and direct impact to infrastructure including erosion exposing the sewage force main and air supply line. In addition, the facility access and a constructed fish rearing impoundment were washed out,” added the information from the regional district.
Should the rip-rap protection structure not be built and erosion continue to the point of affecting the sewage facility, untreated sewage will have an impact on the environment and potentially affect downstream domestic water wells.
“Any impacts on the facility will result in the entire Queensway area and commercial core neighbourhood, including the Kitselas First Nation Kulspai reserve, being without sewer service until the damage is rectified,” indicated the regional district.
“Losing service will have a serious impact on over 720 residents. In addition, the Queensway treatment facility was constructed to provide service to other areas of Thornhill.”
Marcellin said exact details will be subject to an environmental assessment and discussions with various parties, including the Kitselas First Nation.
The timing of the actual work will also take into account fish habitat protection and be done during low water periods.