REAC Presentation (Feb 2009) – Christianne Wilhelmson (120p)
Implementation of the Canada-wide Strategy creates an obligation on the part of the senior governments to support communities that believe it is imperative to improve sewage treatment as soon as possible.
Metro Vancouver's Seymour Capilano filtration plant will be the world’s largest ultraviolet disinfection facility, filtering nearly 2 billion litres daily.
Pam Goldsmith-Jones (120p)
This 21 million litres per day capacity water treatment plant is equipped with state-of-the-art membrane filtration technology, which provides protection for residents from waterborne diseases. The District is honoured to be recognized and proud of the partnership and innovation that drove this project.
The annual farm tour hosted by the Agricultural Advisory Committee provided an opportunity to inform Council about Living Water Smart and how it provides a vision of what communities can look like if they choose to live water smart. “The Action Plan provides neutral forums for advancing a regional team approach. We are encouraging local governments to prepare communities for change, choose to live smart, and strive to build greener communities,” stated Kim Stephens.
“There is a need for fresh, objective eyes bolstered by a strong political mandate to keep asking questions, prod Metro Vancouver and members toward the vision, and assist with the waste-to-resource paradigm-shift over time. A ‘stewarding committee’ would play an expert and non-partisan role. It report directly to the Waste Management Committee,” stated Susan Rutherford.
“Our Final Report is the culmination of several thousand hours of volunteer time and effort. The heart of the report is the three-page table titled A Recommended Policy Framework for Liquid Resource Management in Metro Vancouver. It is reader-friendly, and is complete with on-the-ground examples,” stated Reference Panel Chair Kim Stephens.
Eagle Lake commissioning – Mayor Pam & Ray Fung
The District of West Vancouver's Eagle Lake Development Plan recognizes that water is a valuable commodity. Developing the Eagle Lake water source will help the municipality manage increasing costs of treated water, reduce reliance on Metro Vancouver water, and increase the amount of water supplied by Eagle Lake.
The Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) is a core component of the Metro Vancouver Sustainability Framework. “When the Greater Vancouver Sewerage & Drainage District Board met in March 2009, it approved realigning the goals, strategies and actions in the updated LWMP to keep current with senior government policies and positions, as well as ensure that Metro Vancouver’s and senior governments’ environmental and fiscal objectives and actions are mutually supportive and successful,” stated Board Chair Lois Jackson.
The Surrey Forum is a first step in advancing a regional team approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure that will align local actions in Metro Vancouver with provincial goals as stated in Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan. “We are adapting the experience gained and the lessons learned from the Vancouver Island pilot program. We envision that the Surrey Forum will be a transformational event and a catalyst for action ,” stated Raymond Fung.
To demonstrate the potential for sustainable wastewater treatment solutions, UBC researchers have developed the technology to capture phosphorus and ammonia from high concentration streams and recycle them into environmentally safe fertilizer. “The UBC research effort has been all about producing a sustainable and marketable fertilizer; and we have succeeded! We have demonstrated that we can produce a slow-release and non-burning fertilizer from sewage,” stated Dr. Don Mavinic.
