French Creek Pollution Control Centre: Expansion and Odour Control Upgrades

The RDN Board has approved an overall project budget of $143.7M and awarded the detailed design and construction of the project to AECOM (Engineer) and the Chandos Bird Joint Venture (General Contractor). The project team is currently working through the stages of detailed design and procurement. Construction is scheduled to start in Spring 2025 and end in 2027. The project includes several odour control upgrades that will be operational by Spring 2027. Check out the Detailed Project Update for more information.

We are pleased to announce that $25,496,859 in funding has been committed for this project. Through the Investing Canada Infrastructure Program’s Green Infrastructure - Environmental Quality funding stream, the Government of Canada is investing $10,198,744, the Province of British Columbia is investing $8,498,103 and the RDN is contributing $6,800,012 as matched funds for the grant. Check out the News Release for more information.

Value Engineering Studies

The follow-up studies from the Value Engineering Study are complete. The project is moving forward with the option to decommission and repurpose the Trickling Filter system.

Project Delivery

The project will be completed using a modern, collaborative project delivery method called Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). The IPD method is used throughout North America for complex infrastructure and institutional projects. In this model, the project owner (RDN), engineer and contractor work together through the design and construction, with each party sharing in the risk and reward of the project. IPD has proven to successfully deliver projects on-time, on-budget and without disputes.

The first step in IPD, called Validation, will perform enough of the design to determine the project cost to a high degree of certainty. Detailed design follows Validation with an eye to generate information to allow the contractor to begin construction before design is complete.

The odour control system for the existing Dewatering Building will be fast-tracked and will be done ahead of the main project.

Timeline Update

Main Project

• Follow-Up Studies – Spring 2022 to Spring 2023 (Complete)
• Validation – Summer 2023 to Fall 2023
• Detailed Design – Fall 2023 to Spring 2024
• Construction – Summer 2024 to 2027

Dewatering Odour Control

• Supplier Selection – Spring 2023
• Odour Control System Fabrication – Summer 2023 to Spring 2024
• Construction – Summer 2024

The RDN applied to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for additional grant funding to support this project. If successful, we would receive an infrastructure grant of $12.7 to $18.7 million in Federal and Provincial funding (in addition to the $733,312 announced recently).

A decision on this funding program is expected in Spring 2023.

The RDN is pleased to announce $733,312 in approved grant funding for the FCPCC Expansion and Odour Control Upgrade Project. The funding is through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – CleanBC Communities Fund Program by the Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia. The grant will be used to fund two sustainable design features of the new process building: solar panels and heat recovery.

See the recent News Release for more information.

The RDN recently completed a Value Engineering Study to look at ways to:

• improve the project design
• provide maximum value to the community.

Based on the results, the RDN Board approved further study on two design alternatives:

1. Abandon the existing trickling filter because of its high risk for odours. Use a treatment system that produces less odours, like the one at the upgraded Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre.
2. Use the Qualicum Interceptor to balance flows coming into the plant. The Qualicum Interceptor currently collects all wastewater from the north of the plant.

Follow-up studies on alternatives 1 and 2 will proceed next.

On June 22, 2021, the RDN Board reviewed a revised project cost estimate of $62.3 million that considered the cost escalation seen through the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the RDN Board approved a phased approach to the project.

• In Fall 2021 the RDN will conduct a value engineering study of the expansion component of the project. The results of the value engineering exercise will be presented to the Board for further discussion in Spring 2022.

In addition, the Province provided notification that the RDN was not successful in its $7.3 million grant application for odour control upgrades and ageing infrastructure renewals. A decision is pending on the RDN’s $730,000 grant application for solar energy and heat recovery installations on the expansion project, to lower greenhouse gas emissions

To complete the tree clearing before the active bird nesting season begins on March 15th, crews will work on Saturday, March 13, 2021 between the hours of 8AM and 4PM.

Tree clearing and grubbing is necessary to provide construction access to the site and room for the plant expansion.

• Tree clearing will occur the week of March 8 and will be complete before the active bird nesting season begins on March 15.
• Grubbing of the stumps will follow immediately after tree clearing and will be complete by April 16.

Work will take place from Monday to Friday, 7AM to 6PM. Residents can expect noise from chainsaws and heavy equipment during this time and, potentially, minor traffic delays on Highway 19A while heavy equipment sets up.

At the Regular Board meeting on September 15, 2020, the RDN Board approved the addition of the following items to the project to contribute to carbon neutrality in the region:

1. Recovering Heat From Effluent - This will offset all natural gas heating for the new expansion process building and reduce the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 11.24 tonnes a year. This is a 91% improvement over natural gas.
2. Adding solar panels to the roof of the new expansion process building - 144 solar panels on the roof of the new expansion process building will produce an estimated 44.7kW of electrical power and offset the purchase of power from BC Hydro. This system would reduce the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 2 tonnes a year.

The new expansion process building will also have a wood exterior over a steel frame to compliment the Wood First for RDN Facilities Policy and the Green Building Policy for RDN Facilities.