The majority of the parcel owners in the proposed Bowser Sanitary Sewer Service area voted in favour of the $10.7 million project.
The result of the petitions provided to owners of the 99 properties, representing 107 parcels, showed that 62.6 per cent of property owners, or 67 of the 107 parcels, endorsed the plan.
The parcels represent 67.7 per cent of the net taxable value of all land and improvements within the proposed service area.
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Then Regional District of Nanaimo board will go over the results of the petition at the Aug. 22 regular meeting at 7 p.m, and will decide whether the project should proceed.
Three bylaws are being recommended to the board for service establishment, loan authorization and Development Cost Charges.
“Sewage treatment for Bowser is an opportunity to achieve the vision that many Area H residents had when they helped create the Bowser Village Plan,” said RDN chair and Electoral Area H director Bill Veenhoff. “This plan was based on 20 years of discussions, a great deal of community involvement and was focused on the goal of creating a small village with services that will be a benefit for all residents in Lighthouse Country.”
The $10.7 million capital project has three components — collection, treatment and effluent disposal.
The project was already awarded $7.6 million through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, but it requires the initiative to be completed by March 31, 2019.
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The balance of the cost would be funded through development cost charges estimated to be at $2.6 million, and the rest through property taxes of approximately $500,000.
Staff indicated that the project is designed to meet or exceed all federal and provincial regulatory standards. A secondary treated effluent with UV disinfection will be established to protect human health and the environment.
Ground disposal and marine disposal were each studied to determine the best option to dispose of the treated effluent. The latter was chosen by engineering consultant Stantec Consulting Ltd. as existing ground and soil conditions are not suitable for ground disposal.
The proposed marine outfall would be located off the shore from the Noonday Road beach access. It would be approximately 2.3 kilometres long, discharged at a depth of around 55 metres and would be 400 metres away from the nearest shellfish leases.
Despite these assurances, there are residents who oppose the marine outfall option as they fear this would adversely impact the environment, tourism and shellfish industry.
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Four people will be appearing as delegations at the Aug. 22 board meeting to express their opposition to the marine outfall option.
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