Membrane upgrades
Westview wastewater treatment plant is usually the only part of Powell River’s liquid waste (sewage) system that does not comply with its ministry of environment permit [“Numerous questions remain about co-treatment,” July 13]. The problem is that stormwater doubles the volume and overwhelms the planned capacity of the plant.
To solve this problem, City of Powell River council will soon decide on an expensive system with many possible negative outcomes. All three existing sewage plants will be replaced with pumping stations piping all of our sewage to a location below Townsite where it will be pre-treated and sent to Catalyst Paper Corporation Powell River mill’s facility which was not designed for human waste. Eventually, the Catalyst section will need to be replaced by a modern plant which may need no or different pre-treatment.
The city should seriously step back and look at another solution with fewer unknowns that will save both tax money and disruption.
The Westview plant is an early generation membrane bioreactor. This technology has now been improved so that costs have dropped and many cities are adopting it because it is cost effective, uses a small footprint and produces a product that is benign to the environment. A retrofit, using the same building, could increase the capacity of the plant, eliminate the odour problem and lower costs.
If stormwater inflow can’t be reduced, some sewage from upper Westview could be diverted via Manson Avenue or the pole line to the existing Townsite plant. We would continue to use gravity to do most of the work of moving our waste, just as we do our water. It would retain the facilities that are presently working and they could be modified on site as needed. There would be less rerouting of piping and less ongoing pumping costs. No pipeline would pass through Millennium Park. With three sites, each section of the city would have part of the solution in its own backyard.
Two examples of retrofit technology for membrane bioreactors are: General Electric’s ZeeWeed technology recently chosen by Brandon, Manitoba (google Brandon ZeeWeed), and Koch Membrane Systems. There is an informative video here.
Wes and Janet Bingham
Windsor Avenue
Conveniences less than convenient
Recently, while walking my two dogs in Larry Gouthro Park , I had a really crappy day. I just had to go to the can. There was no escaping it. But alas, the washrooms were locked [“Parks for all,” June 8]. There was no time to rush home or to Town Centre Mall. Other people in the park were some distance away, so I swallowed my embarrassment, backed my butt into some bushes, and got the job done.
And, yes, using a doggy bag supplied by City of Powell River, I picked up after myself.
Yesterday, there was a woman in a similar predicament. When I told her the washrooms were locked, she was most distressed and very angry at our city.
Every day this park is populated by young families using the playground, people exercising their dogs, and people exercising themselves. These washrooms should be unlocked every day during daylight hours, not just during some “special event” which caters to a relative few compared to the thousands of others who frequent the park during the year.
Although the content of the opening paragraph is a little embarrassing, I have agreed to allow the Peak to publish my name in the hope that something will be done about the situation.
Ted Wright
Michigan Avenue
