The Metro Vancouver Regional District selected Fraser Delta Group, a joint venture of AECOM Canada Ltd. and Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc., to provide design and engineering services for its $7-billion Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade project in British Columbia, the contractors announced Nov. 25.

Metro Vancouver plans to upgrade and expand its existing plant, which was built in 1963. It currently processes about 200 billion liters of wastewater each year and serves about 750,000 people. Local officials have projected that it will serve more than 950,000 people by 2051. 

“In the midst of increased demand fueled by population growth, more stringent regulatory discharge requirements and the need for operational efficiencies, new and innovative ways of expanding wastewater system capacity continue to emerge,” said Katus Watson, senior vice president at Jacobs, in a statement. 

The project would transform the Canadian plant from a primary to a tertiary treatment facility with the goal of improving the quality of water in the surrounding Salish Sea and nearby Fraser River, which has the largest salmon population in British Columbia. 

The upgrades are also planned to allow the plant to recover reclaimed water for non-potable uses, and to capture biogas to use for generating heat at the plant and supplying natural gas for utility FortisBC’s distribution system. Improvements at the plant site would also provide protection from earthquakes and sea level rise. 

The JV team previously completed a report on the project for Metro Vancouver and is currently leading a pilot program testing new technologies for the first phase of upgrades. That first phase is planned to be complete by 2027.

“All water has value and can be recovered and revitalized,” Watson said. “This is critical to delivering this transformational upgrade to Metro Vancouver’s wastewater treatment and keeping local communities and coastal waters healthy for years to come.”

Metro Vancouver is also planning some related work, including construction of a barge berth to eliminate the need for construction material delivery by truck. Officials have not yet selected a location for the berth. Metro Vancouver is also planning upgrades to the causeway linking Iona to Sea Island, such as shoreline restoration, road improvements and construction of a greenway path for cyclists and pedestrians. 

The plant is scheduled to become operational in 2035, and officials plan to complete other associated construction and ecological restoration by 2038.