As the regional district faces charges of alleged raw sewage dumping from its combined pipes, New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver are decades away from separating their combined pipes, which leads to overflow following heavy rains.
Although Environment Canada would not comment on the details, it did confirm that it has filed charges against Metro Vancouver on July 12 for allegedly discharging untreated sewage from a combined overflow pipe into the Burrard Inlet two years ago.
Newer sewage systems have separated pipes for storm and sewage water, but New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver are the last in Metro Van to still have combined pipes.
In New West, the city spends about $1.3 million a year on sewer separation and, under the latest liquid waste plan, the pipes will all be separated by 2075, according to Catalin Dobrescu, utilities and special projects engineer.
"The issue other than money, is ... (in) the New Westminster municipality, we have one of the oldest sewer systems around," Dobrescu told The Record. "Back in the day, when they first sewered New West, it was with vitrified clay pipes, and I'd say ... probably 60 to 70 per cent of our sewers are still vitrified clay pipe. We have lots of joints every two feet, and they infiltrate water from the outside like nobody's business."
Dobrescu said the city is 15 years into separating its pipes, and it's increasing its separation budget every year, but another issue is private property separation.
"Just the fact that we install new pipes in the streets, and put all the drains on the street into the new pipe - the houses and the private side is still connected to combined sewer and storm, and we cannot force them to separate, at least not yet," he said. "When we separate a street, the minute we finish the project we divert about a third of that catchment's rainwater. The other two thirds come from the private property side."
The private properties will eventually connect over time as redevelopment occurs - but until then when heavy rains fall the overflow discharges into the Fraser River. "It's a very complicated, very long and time-consuming process," he said. "And it's certainly not cheap."
The overflow was part of the original design and modernizing it to curb overflow is "foremost" on the city's minds, according to Dobrescu.
"We're chipping away at it," he added. "2075 is not an unrealistic timeline."
Although 2075 is New West's goal, Burnaby expects to complete its sewer separation by 2050, according to Burnaby Coun. Dan Johnston.
Burnaby is also about 15 years into the process and newer areas of the city already have separated pipes.
Between 2010 and 2012, New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver spent a combined $107 million in sewer separation, according to the Vancouver Sun. The Sun also reported the regional district and Environment Canada are set to reappear in court in October.
