Edward Hill, Goldstream News Gazette, June 24, 2010 5:01 PM

Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin calls regional sewage treatment an unnecessary, $800 million “boondoggle” and argues the CDR board should stand up to the province.CRD board members have said that they are under orders from the Ministry of the Environment to implement sewage treatment, which has been handed down from the federal government.

“The CRD has got a duty to stand up and state the facts, not a duty to roll over,” Martin said. “Saying they were told to do something is not acceptable.”

Martin says 99.8 per cent of effluent flowing into the Straight of Juan de Fuca is water and the vast majority of solids are captured at
the existing primary sewage treatment plant. The main problem is stormwater infiltrating into old sewer lines in the core
municipalities and overflowing into the ocean, he said. Municipalities need to repair aging infrastructure before taxing citizens for sewage treatment, he said.

“Why are they spending $800 million to treat effluent that is 99.8 per cent water?” Martin said. “They are treating a non-existent problem.”