Currently, untreated sewage is released into Juan de Fuca Strait.
The plant will treat wastewater from Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay, View Royal, Langford, Colwood, and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. It will use a three-stage process to separate solids from wastewater, break down organic compounds, and filter out contaminants like pharmaceuticals and microplastics.
Design features include a green roof and the use of recovered thermal energy to heat buildings at McLoughlin Point. At Hartland Landfill, the residual solids will be dried using biogas created by the waste digestion process.
Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna said the project is a good example of what can happen when communities and governments come together.