The provincial government’s Municipal Wastewater Regulation requires all BC municipalities to have separate stormwater and sanitary sewer systems. Compliance with the provincial regulation is mandatory for the District of Oak Bay as it is for other jurisdictions in the province such as Burnaby, New Westminster and the City of Vancouver where single pipe infrastructure currently exists.  Separation of the combined sewers is an integral part of the Capital Regional District’s Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan in compliance with the Municipal Wastewater Regulation.

The Uplands neighbourhood in Oak Bay currently has a single pipe system to accommodate both sanitary sewer and stormwater flows. During heavy rainfall, the storm water volume exceeds the capacity of the system and a combination of stormwater and raw sewage discharges into the shallow ocean waters at the Rutland and Humber pump stations. 

Preliminary Project Approval

At the Special Committee of the Whole on October 5, 2016 (agenda and recordings available here), the following recommendation was made unanimously:

That it be recommended to Council that:

1. The District of Oak Bay approve the recommendations of the pre-design report namely:

• Option 4, a shallower gravity based storm system, including two isolated areas requiring municipal stormwater pumps;
• Design by catchment area and not by construction phase;
• Construction on a phased project basis, beginning with the Humber catchment, with contract packages at a minimum of $2 million each; and
• Development of a plan for rehabilitation of the existing pipes; and

2. The District of Oak Bay approve the submission to the Capital Regional District requesting an amendment to the Capital Regional District’s Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan.

The recommendation was then endorsed by Council on October 11, 2016.

Next Steps

As of June 2022, the District has commenced project initiation, in response to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change direction to complete Humber Catchment construction before the end of 2025.  A governance review of timelines, project funding, and project risks is scheduled for early 2023.

Additional Information

Click here to access agendas, minutes and webcastings (where available) for the meetings listed below.