Gitga'at Hartley Bay Waste Water Treatment Facility

Hartley Bay is a remote Indigenous community located at the confluence of the Grenville and Douglas Channels,approximately 144 km southeast of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The community, home to the Gitga'at First Nation, has a population of approximately 200 residents living on-reserve. The Village's wastewater system comprises a sanitary collection network, two sanitary lift stations, forcemains, a community septic tank, and a marine outfall. The existing infrastructure does not meet current regulatory discharge requirements or provide sufficient treatment to protect the receiving marine environment. This technical memorandum outlines the conceptual design and key findings at this stage of the project for the proposed wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) upgrade for the Village of Hartley Bay. The project aims to address the community's current wastewater management challenges and comply with regulatory requirements in a sustainable and resilient manner. The system upgrade is necessary to comply with both the Municipal Waste Regulation (MWR) under the Environmental Management Act and the federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) under the Fisheries Act. The proposed system will provide improved treatment 
capacity, ensure environmental protection, and accommodate projected population growth over a 40-year design 
horizon.The design for the proposed WWTF system will include:
•A sanitary pump station to convey raw wastewater to the treatment site.
•Influent fine screening for solids removal
•A lagoon-based treatment facility with two parallel, partially-mixed, aerated lagoon cells,
• An allowance for alum dosing capabilities for phosphorus removal.
•A polishing cellUltraviolet (UV) disinfection.
•A new, permanent water service to the lagoon facility that includes booster pumps and a watermain 
from the existing reservoir north-west of the community.

Final effluent discharge from the Hartley Bay wastewater lagoon facility must comply with both the WSER and the MWR discharge criteria based on a marine discharge. Key constraints for the lagoon siting will be the topography, geotechnical conditions, hydrogeological conditions, site access and provision of setbacks from nearby creeks or waterbodies. The land surrounding Hartley Bay is rugged and slopes towards the community. Pumping will be required to convey raw wastewater from the community to the lagoon facility. Once the wastewater has been treated in the lagoon, it will flow by gravity to the foreshore before being discharged through the existing outfall. Reliance on pumping of treated effluent will be minimized to the extent possible.

The following environmental sensitivities have been identified in the Project area:

• Fish and fish habitat – including water quality;

• Wetlands and bogs – unique ecosystems that function to maintain and improve water quality and mitigate flooding;

• Species at risk – specifically lichens, western toad, marbled murrelet, and western screech-owl;

• Amphibians – present within the Project Footprint and sensitive to water quality impacts;

• Migratory birds – including sandhill crane and nests of species that are protected year-round;

• Raptors – including cavity nesters and nests that are protected year-round; and

• Hydrology – surface water collection and movement, water quality, erosion, and wetlands in the lagoon

footprint locations.

 

 

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Latest update

The assessment is in progress.

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Contacts

BC Environment Team
Indigenous Services Canada
600-1138 Melville Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4S3
Email: bcciarpubliccomments@sac-isc.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Hartley Bay (British Columbia)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Water Management

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2025-09-25

  • Proponent

    Gitga'at First Nation

  • Authorities

    • Environment and Climate Change Canada
    • Indigenous Services Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    89846

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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