Town of Ladysmith Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade

WSP

Ladysmith, BC

Prior to 2017, the Town of Ladysmith’s Wastewater Treatment Plant discharged primary treated effluent into Ladysmith Harbour, putting the local ecology and shellfish resources at risk. Starting in 2007, WSP facilitated a Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) process for the Town, establishing the roadmap for the its wastewater treatment upgrade program, which was implemented in three phases over eight years. Phase 3 – the secondary treatment upgrade – was the final component of the program and completed in 2017. Space restrictions on the treatment plant site required an innovative approach. A moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) secondary treatment process, combined with dissolved air flotation (DAF) for solids separation, was selected for the upgrade. The upgrade has greatly improved effluent quality to meet regulatory standards for shellfish harvesting and recreational water use in Ladysmith Harbour.