A “service disruption” at the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond resulted in raw, untreated wastewater flowing into the ocean for at least three hours Thursday afternoon, according to Metro Vancouver.
In a statement, it says a large volume of rocky debris blocked treatment screening equipment around 2:40 p.m.
“Operations and maintenance crews were immediately deployed to clear the blockage and restore normal operations as safely and quickly as possible,” the statement said.
Bill Tieleman, the spokesperson for the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union (GVRDEU), says the issue meant Metro Vancouver needed to divert the flow of raw sewage, combined with stormwater from yesterday’s rainfall, into the ocean.
“The alternative of not dumping it out into the ocean through the outfall would be potentially sewers backing up, sewer lines being clogged and backing up, and having a real problem elsewhere,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.
“So that’s the basic procedure they use during an emergency situation like this.”
He says the outflow pipe goes about seven kilometres into the ocean, avoiding Iona Beach and Musqueam First Nation along the coast.
Tieleman says they aren’t sure exactly how much raw sewage was released, but says it “wasn’t an insignificant amount.”
“The folks who are knowledgeable in the union that deal with the wastewater treatment plants estimate that would be hundreds of millions of litres of wastewater,” he said.
Metro Vancouver says wastewater diversion ended shortly after 6 p.m., just over three hours after it began. As of Friday morning, it says, three of the six damaged screens have been repaired, which is what is required for normal operations. There has been no expected impact on public health, and the cause of the incident is under investigation, it says.
When contacted, the Ministry of Environment and Parks stated that they were aware of the reported emergency bypass of untreated wastewater at the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond.
“The operator reported that a planned emergency bypass, directed to the deep ocean, was initiated at approximately 3:41 p.m. on July 2 and ended at approximately 6:17 p.m.”
Environmental Emergency Response Officers received and verified the operator’s notification, provided notifications to potentially affected First Nations, and monitored the incident until the bypass ended, read the statement.
— With files from Dean Recksiedler
The exterior of the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant on Friday March 21, 2025. (CityNews Image)
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