Goals of Wastewater Treatment in the CRD
The Core Area Wastewater Management Program is an exciting one. To keep the program on track and to assist the decision making as the project moves through development and implementation, it is useful to adopt a series of goals and accompanying strategies.
The Triple Bottom Line
The CRD is using an enhanced triple bottom line methodology (called a Sustainability Assessment Framework (SAF)) to explore options for wastewater treatment. Social/Community, Economic and Environmental concerns are the three means of evaluating the success of any possible plan for treatment.
An SAF approach allows for complex analysis of distinct, yet interdependent elements. Alternatives can be weighed from a variety of perspectives, allowing for the best combination of Triple Bottom Line measures.
Read the Memorandum on the Sustainabilty Assessment Framework (SAF) (PDF 
)
Read more about the SAF methodology: Sustainability Assessment Framework
Goals
Protect Public Health & the Environment
This is a fundamental goal of wastewater management. The CRD is committed to not only meeting the required regulations, but also to planning ahead in a proactive manner to ensure that emerging and future public health and environmental issues can be addressed in the decades to come.
Manage Wastewater in a Sustainable Manner
Wastewater has traditionally been considered in the context of "disposal." The strategy adopted by the CRD has changed this approach. The CRD will be moving towards the goal of sustainable wastewater management during the detailed planning and implementation of treatment. A sustainable wastewater management approach will be one that continuously moves the CRD forward in terms of the integration of water, energy, waste and infrastructure management within the triple bottom line values of the community.
Provide Cost Effective Wastewater Management
Cost effective wastewater management optimizes the existing investment in wastewater infrastructure while thoughtfully moving ahead in the implementation of new strategies and infrastructure investments. The CRD will consider the best integration of public and private sector resources to deliver the wastewater management service in a manner that provides the best value to the community.
Read the details on our Goals and Strategies (PDF )
Strategies
- Integrate community growth and development with wastewater management planning
- Adopt a risk-based wet weather flow management plan
- Accommodate future growth through a distributed wastewater management strategy
- Consider wastewater as a resource
- Adopt technologies that meet or exceed current requirements and provide future flexibility
- Integrate wastewater management facilities into the community
Decentralized Treatment
The CRD is researching a departure from a traditional centralized approach to wastewater treatment to a more distributed wastewater treatment strategy. This distributed approach will allow the CRD to take best advantage of the existing sewerage infrastructure, while setting the direction for more localized wastewater management with potential water reuse and energy recovery opportunities. Read more
© Second image courtesy of Minette Layne