Regional District of Nanaimo biosolids program to continue for five more years

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) has announced it will be continuing its biosolids forest fertilization program for another five years at a new site.

Up to 7,000 tonnes of biosolids from the Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre (GNPCC) will be used at Blackjack Ridge to enrich the soil and help tree growth, according to the RDN.

Biosolids are the solids recovered from the wastewater treatment process and stabilized to meet provincially regulated quality criteria, according to the district. They say its high amounts of nutrients benefit the soil, can help trees grow faster and also cut down on climate change because of the better tree growth.

“By using the biosolids in forest fertilization, not only is carbon returned back to the soil, thousands of tonnes of biosolids are diverted from the landfill annually,” said Don Bonner, RDN Liquid Waste Management Plan monitoring committee chair. “This is a significant contribution towards our goal of 90 per cent diversion of waste from the landfill by 2029 and aligns with our environmental strategic priorities and Liquid Waste Management Plan.”

The district says a hydrogeological assessment was done at the Blackjack site to determine if it could be used for the program. The assessment also found there is no risk to wells or other water sources in the area like the Nanaimo Lakes and the Nanaimo River.

SYLVIS Environmental Services was awarded a five-year contract to apply GNPCC biosolids to the Blackjack site along with Mosaic Forest Management. They have the option to extend the contract an additional five years, according to the RDN.

READ MORE: RDN’s proposed solid waste bylaws would divert 10 per cent from landfill

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