Jan 13, 2017

Ladysmith Secures New Site for Composting Operation: Efforts to Secure Interim Solution Continue

The Town of Ladysmith has made an important step forward in its efforts to relocate the bio-solids composting operation from the Public Works Yard on Sixth Avenue.  Council is announcing today that its offer to purchase property in the industrial zoned area in south Ladysmith has been accepted. The Town will build a composting facility at the new site, complete with bio-filters to control odour.

"We are pleased that our lengthy search for a suitable property to house our bio-solids composting facility has finally been successful. Our main focus continues to be finding an interim partner to process our bio-solids until we can move the entire operation away from our Public Works Yard and neighbouring residential areas," said Mayor Aaron Stone.

Town officials have been urgently looking for other partners to take the material in the interim, and are hopeful that negotiations will soon have a positive outcome.  However, until the Town has a firm commitment, the composting operation will have to continue at the Public Works Yard.  Town staff will continue to do everything they can to mitigate the smell, including doing the worst work at night.

Composting of Waste Water Treatment Plant (sewage system) bio-solids has been carried out at the Town of Ladysmith Public Works Yard since the 1990s.  Provincial regulations require the operator of a Waste Water Treatment Plant to manage the resulting bio-solids.  Composting is a viable and beneficial option for responsible bio-solids management.  The Town must comply with regulations laid out in the Organic Material Recycling Regulation and the composting operation at the Public Works Yard is authorized by the Ministry of Environment.  The final product is a high-quality top soil that meets Class A standards.  The Town does not mix household compostables with the sewage sludge.

The Town has always planned to deal with the odour from the bio-solids composting operation, and has a grant to help pay for construction of the facility.  Council voted last summer to  delay construction until the composting operation could be moved to a more suitable location.  The Town has been actively searching for a site for several months.  However,  appropriate sites with the right location and zoning were not easy to find.

"The whole situation has been extremely difficult for our community and for our Council," said Mayor Stone.  "As we better understood that the Public Works Yard would no longer be a suitable location for the composting operation, we started looking for a new site or other places to take the Town’s bio-solids.  We are happy to have secured a new location. Our teams are still urgently focused on efforts to find an interim partner to take our bio-solids until our new facility is operational."

Updates and additional information can be found on the Sewage Treatment page on the Town’s website at www.ladysmith.ca.

For Information:
Mayor Aaron Stone                              Guillermo Ferrero, City Manager
250.245.6403                                       250.245.6401                             
mayor@ladysmith.ca                           gferrero@ladysmith.ca  

News Release Biosolids Compost Site