Township: Help coming for Aldergrove sewers
Langley Township has to choose, soon, between three expensive options to repair Aldergrove's beleagured sewage system.
by Matthew Claxton
Three new plans for Aldergrove's sewer system could change the direction of development in Langley for decades to come.
The plans, and their costs, were presented to the Township's mayor and council for the first time at Monday afternoon's special meeting.
Each of the plans will deal with a problem that has been plaguing Aldergrove and the Gloucester industrial area for several years, said Brad Badelt, the Township's manager of water and the environment.
"The whole system in Aldergrove is leaking," Badelt said.
In the past few years, Township engineers have seen sudden and alarming back-ups in the local sewer system during heavy rainfall. There was up to three times more water than there should have been during the storms.
Flow monitoring equipment showed that too much rainwater was getting into the system. It was coming in because many of the aging pipes laid under Aldergrove streets are riddled with cracks.
Replacing the many kilometers of pipes under every home and business in the area simply isn't an option, Badelt said. The costs would be astronomical, possibly into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Instead, while cracked pipes will be replaced during routine and scheduled maintenance, the main solution will likely be one of the three options presented Monday.
The first is to increase the size of the connection from Aldergrove to Abbotsford's James Treatment Plant. That will have an up-front cost of about $20.2 million, and a long term cost of $27.9 million.
The second option is to build a completely new treatment plant in eastern Langley, at an upfront cost of $39.9 million, and a total cost of $45.2 million.
The last, and cheapest, option is to connect Aldergrove to the GVRD system, for $15.7 million up front and $26.5 million in the long term.
All the costs in the estimates were based on continued strong growth in Aldergrove and a new community plan that will allow a higher population.
Township mayor Kurt Alberts said he hoped one of the options will be chosen by the end of the year. The ongoing growth in Aldergrove and Gloucester can only be sustained for another few years with the current sewer system.
"We're at a point now we need to make a decision," Alberts said. "I don't think we have any choice of doing nothing."
The initial costs for the three plans are deceptive, because some of them have the potential for other partners to join and share the financial burden, Badelt said.
While the pipeline to Abbotsford would cost more than a line east to the GVRD, it might also fit into Abbotsford's long term plans, he said.
Township staff are speaking with Abbotsford staff about sharing the costs. If Abbotsford wants to develop the Mt. Lehman area, a larger sewer connection through the area will be necessary in the future.
The connection to the GVRD would also allow existing businesses and homes along the route, including the Otter Co-op, to connect to the new pipeline. Those businesses would then pay ongoing utility fees.
Most of the businesses between Aldergrove and Murrayville currently have their own septic systems.
Building an independent treatment plant could be seen as a move toward sustainability, Alberts said.
"While that is a good notion, it is a very expensive option in this case," the mayor added.
The final cost of a new plant would have to be compared against the cost not only of the pipeline options, but against the long-term pumping cost, said Alberts.
Township staff will spend the next several months studying the options in greater detail.
The final costs may not be exactly the same as those unveiled Monday, Alberts noted. Everything from right of way issues to soil composition will factor into the final bill for the sewer upgrades.
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