Still in the mix as a fallback is the former B.C. Hydro/Transport Canada property in Rock Bay, which is to be transferred to the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.
A single plant at Rock Bay, with an estimated cost of $1.077 billion, was the cheapest and preferred option to emerge from the latest round of engineering studies and public consultation. The site lost some of its lustre largely due to the estimated $200-million to $250-million cost and associated disruption involved in putting pipes and pumps in the ground.
For Rock Bay to work, sewage would have to be diverted from the existing outfalls at Macaulay and Clover points and piped to Rock Bay. The treated effluent would then have to be pumped back to the outfalls.
In Clover Point’s case, that likely would mean years of disruption to trench down Cook Street to Rock Bay — a prospect Victoria councillors don’t have much appetite for, as they are already smarting over reaction to plans to replace parking stalls on Cook to make way for bike lanes.
