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Dog attack
Woman speaks out after terrier killed by off-leash dog in North Van
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North Vancouver firefighters share rope rescue skills with Ukraine
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COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE
Trial project aims to use sewage plant to cut ocean acid STEFAN LABBÉ
slabbe@glaciermedia.ca
Every time someone on the North Shore flushes a toilet, it is the beginning of a journey that ends in Burrard Inlet with one critical stop at the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Machines rake out bits of garbage never intended for the toilet. The sewage is filtered and treated with chemicals that separate out fecal matter. Eventually “beach quality water” is discharged through a submerged pipe, almost 200 metres from the shore. Gazing over a metal railing at the plant, operations supervisor Nicholas Whyte watches the process unfold. “It’s not fun, but we have to do it,” Whyte said. “Otherwise, this would all be in the ocean.” Today, Metro Vancouver is investing billions of dollars to modernize its aging wastewater facilities, many built as part of a post-war push to treat raw sewage before it hits waterways. Built in 1959, the Lions Gate facility is the region’s oldest sewage plant. But it will soon host a cutting-edge trial looking to rebalance the oceans and fight back against climate change. Next spring, workers will set up a facility at the head of Continued on A18
Workers spray down a sewage pond at the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Vancouver. The site pumps treated sewage into some of the most acidic oceans in the world. STEFAN LABBÉ / GLACIER MEDIA
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