2019 Annual Report

Annual Report 2019 41 the toilet rebate program. A comprehensive water conservation plan is being designed and implemented. Ensure quality drinking water. Meets drinking water standards. Comprehensive and extensive drinking water quality testing program undertaken in 2019, with 1,750 water samples tested. Full-time drinking water chlorination in operation maintaining a min. 0.2ppm chlorine residual throughout the system. Key maintenance activities such as semi-annual flushing, reservoir cleaning and production well repairs have been conducted. Drinking water quality has been maintained to meet drinking water quality guidelines throughout 2019. Good Stewardship of the Environment Protect the waterways. Effluent meets or exceeds Provincial standards. Continues to meet Provincial standards. Biological Treatment Systems at WWTP continue to improve water quality in 2019. Design-build procurement process for the Inlet Works Upgrade project is complete and design in progress. Completed High Strength Wastewater Pre- Treatment Facility at the WWTP to treat high strength wastewater to meet discharge water quality requirements. Enhancement of fish habitat. Undertook several mitigative measures in order to preserve and enhance habitat during the annual open channel drainage maintenance program, with the support and approval of DFO. Worked directly with Species at Risk and DFO representatives in the field at the Hope Slough. Worked toward verifying for DFO that responsible drainage maintenance can improve fish habitat values. Collaborated with the Fraser Valley Conservancy and Provincial staff to remove invasive species and replant the banks of several Creeks with native vegetation. Worked with DFO and the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition to construct additional spawning and rearing habitat adjacent to the Vedder River in Peach Creek. Protect water course riparian areas. Consider scientifically determined stream setbacks in all new development applications. Continued to protect riparian areas by maintaining RAR standards and enforcing Development Permit Area #3 rules. Encourage waste diversion. Increase Curbside Program waste diversion rate from 34% in 2014 to 65% by 2018 and 75% by 2025. Curbside waste diversion rate 70% in 2019. Diversion is achieved through successful recycling and compostables collection programs. Protect the airshed. Work with the Province to assess agricultural air quality impacts. Provincial Government introduced new Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice to replace the Agricultural Waste Control Regulation, with a goal of "enhancing and improving water and air quality by ensuring that good agricultural practices are followed". Changes include emission standards, testing and monitoring requirements for biogas-fueled boilers and heaters, as well as composting and nutrient management requirements to protect air and water quality. Explore economically viable methane extraction opportunities or other renewable energy. Install a gas extraction system at the Bailey Landfill. Expanded gas extraction system at the Bailey Landfill in 2019, significantly increasing gas capture. Continued to utilize methane produced at WWTP to run biogas boiler heat digesters. Commenced operation of a stand-alone biogas heating system to run the industrial high strength pre-treatment facility at the WWTP. Continued exploring options to convert excess biogas at the WWTP to biomethane and subsequent retailing to FORTIS BC. Applied for $9 million grant through the CleanBC Communities Fund for the design and construction of an Organic Food Waste Receiving and Pre-Processing Station and Anaerobic Digester to increase biogas production at the WWTP.