Liquid Waste Management Plan Amendment

The RDN is waiting for a decision on our request, made in December 2023, to amend our Liquid Waste Management Plan.

In the past year, there has been a notable update to the French Creek Pollution Control Centre Expansion and Odour Control Upgrade Project. We project now has a revised cost estimate. The class D cost estimate of $65.5 million that was listed in the 2023 LWMP Amendment is now a class A cost estimate of $143.7 million. The change is primarily due to escalating costs across the construction industry. The project’s general scope, timeline, and level of treatment remain unchanged. Letters have been mailed to service area residents to communicate the change.

In March 2025, the RDN sent letter to the Minister of Environment and Parks with a request to approve a revised version of the LWMP Amendment that has an updated Financial Planning section (Section 2.6).

The RDN Board endorsed the 2023 Liquid Waste Management Plan Amendment at the November 28, 2023 Regular Board Meeting. The final plan is now available under the Resources tab. The plan has been sent to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to request approval.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this process.

A corrected Factsheet 6, Version 2 is now available.

Thanks to all who participated in the LWMP Amendment engagement opportunities. The What We Heard Engagement Summary is posted under the Resources section. All feedback will inform the final LWMP Amendment.

An updated version of Factsheet 6 (Financial Planning) is now available.

Factsheet 6, Table 3 displayed the potential average RDN wastewater household property tax for properties in Lantzville. The predicted 2023 and 2032 tax values remain accurate. However the calculations for the average annual increase and the total 10-year increase are corrected in the table below. The Final LWMP Amendment will use the corrected values. Information for properties in Nanaimo is correct.

Factsheet 6 (Financial Planning) stated that there may be an expansion of the Duke Point Pollution Control Centre, based on demand. This project was listed in error and, to date, the RDN has not received a request for the expansion. If developers or new users in the community request an expansion of the service area, a plant expansion may be required, and one would be contemplated at that time. The Duke Point Pollution Control Centre Phase 1 Expansion mentioned in Factsheet 6 will be removed from the final Liquid Waste Management Plan Amendment.

We invite residents to take part in the next phase of the LWMP Amendment. In May and June, residents can learn about the amendment at virtual and in-person information sessions and open houses, attend SepticSmart workshops and participate in a survey.

• Virtual Events:
  • May 4, 2023, Introduction to the LWMP Amendment. A recording of the presentation is available here.
  • May 16, 2023, LWMP Amendment, specific to the Nanoose Bay Pollution Control Centre
  • May 18, 2023, LWMP Amendment, specific to the Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre and Duke Point Pollution Control Centre
  • May 31, 2023, LWMP Amendment, specific to the French Creek Pollution Control Centre
• In-person Information Sessions:
  • May 8, 2023, LWMP Amendment, focussing on the Nanoose Bay Pollution Control Centre
  • May 23, 2023, LWMP Amendment, focussing on the French Creek Pollution Control Centre
• Open Houses:
  • May 6, 2023, Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre Open House
  • June 3, 2023, French Creek Pollution Control Centre Open House
• SepticSmart Workshops:
  • June 6, 2023, Parksville
  • June 8, 2023, Electoral Area B / Gabriola Island
  • June 20, 2023, Electoral Area C / Cassidy
  • June 22, 2023, Electoral Area E / Nanoose.
• Survey:
  • Open for feedback from May 4, 2023 to July 3, 2023.