The District of Powell River's facility for sewage treatment was considered an eyesore by local residents and businesses and was producing strong odours. The plant faced significant inflow and infiltration (I&I) challenges from the aging collection system and, like many other plants of the same age, was nearing its capacity.

Installation of drum screen during construction of Headworks building. Photos courtesy Hill-Murray and ZENON Environmental.

The original facility had been built in the early 1970s near the waterfront in Powell River to take advantage of the hillside topography of the town and allow for a primarily gravity based collection system. This feature now created a significant hurdle for the replacement of the plant. One possible location for a new plant was approximately 3 km away and at an elevation of 70 metre rise above the current end of the collect system.

Hill, Murray and Associates, of Victoria, BC, has designed and built a unique and affordable upgrade of the original plant that avoided the costs of new land acquisition and forcemain construction associated with relocating the plant.

The renamed Westview Water Reclamation Facility has an upgraded design flow of 1 US mgd (3800 m³) with a 2 x peaking factor. The facility provides tertiary quality wastewater treatment using a combination of technologies, including a ZENON Environmental Inc. patented ZenoGem^TM Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) system, for the over 10,000 people of the community.

This article has been abridged.