News Release - December 13, 2017
Bowser Village Centre Wastewater Project Service Area Established
At last night's meeting, the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Board adopted bylaws establishing the Bowser Village Sanitary Sewer Service and its funding mechanisms, and directed staff to proceed with the next steps of the Bowser Village Centre Wastewater Project."Bowser wastewater servicing is an opportunity to bring the vision of the Bowser Village Plan into a reality," said Bill Veenhof, RDN Chair and Area H Director. "Many Area H residents helped the RDN create the Bowser Village Plan, which is based on 20 years of discussions, a great deal of community involvement and focusses on the goal of creating a small village with services that would benefit all residents in the Lighthouse community."
The creation of a service area means that the RDN can now access up to $7,590,328 in Clean Water & Wastewater Grant funding earmarked for the project. The project's two other funding sources, property owner contributions and development cost charges, are also now secured. A petition process in August 2017 saw a majority of Bowser Village Centre property owners submit petitions in favor of sewer servicing, and the associated $500,000 required to pay for the property owners' portion of the project costs. Further to this, a $2.6 million Development Cost Charges Front-ender Amendment Agreement was approved by the Regional Board at last night's meeting. This agreement enables participating developers to pre-purchase development units, allowing future development to pay for a large portion of the sewer system in advance. Together, the Clean Water & Wastewater Fund Grant, property owner contributions, and Development Cost Charges total $10.7 million, the estimated capital cost for the project.
Now that a service area has been established and project funding is secured, the RDN can move forward with completion of outfall design and tendering and construction of the sewer system. The project team will work closely with provincial and federal regulators to ensure regulatory obligations are met in a timely manner.
Key facts:
- The project has been awarded funding under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund at a maximum federal/provincial contribution of $7,590,328.
- The capital cost is estimated to be $10.7 million to be recovered through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, Development Cost Charges and Individual Property Taxes.
- The project is designed to meet or exceed all federal and provincial regulations and will produce secondary treated effluent with UV disinfection, to ensure protection of human health and the environment.
Contact:
Randy Alexander
General Manager, Regional and Community Utilities
Regional District of Nanaimo
250-390-6560
ralexander [at] rdn.bc.ca (ralexander[at]rdn[dot]bc[dot]ca)