Duncan Halts Major Sewer Project Amid Escalating Costs

The City of Duncan has announced a suspension of the Joint Utilities Board’s (JUB) Outfall Relocation Project due to significant cost increases. Initially estimated at $27.4 million in 2016, the project’s expenses have surged to $95 million as of 2025. City officials are now seeking additional funding from provincial and federal governments to proceed. Read more on Cowichan Valley Citizen.

Project Background

The JUB Sewage Treatment Plant is co-owned by the Municipality of North Cowichan and the City of Duncan, treating wastewater from Duncan, parts of North Cowichan, Cowichan Bay, Eagle Heights, and Cowichan Tribes. Currently, the plant discharges treated effluent into the Cowichan River, approximately five kilometers upstream from Cowichan Bay. The Outfall Relocation Project aims to move this discharge point to a deeper water location at the embayment line of Cowichan Bay.

More details about the project are available on the official project website.

Reasons for Relocation

Several factors have prompted the need to relocate the outfall:

• Environmental Concerns: During periods of low river flow, especially in summer and early fall, the Cowichan River lacks sufficient volume to adequately dilute the treated effluent. Climate change projections suggest these low-flow periods will become more frequent.
• Infrastructure Risks: The existing outfall infrastructure is vulnerable to damage from log jams and gravel accumulation during high river flows.
• Lease Obligations: The treatment plant operates on land leased from Cowichan Tribes, with an agreement to make reasonable efforts to relocate the outfall from the river.
• Shellfish Harvesting: Moving the outfall may lead to a reassessment of the current shellfish harvesting moratorium in Cowichan Bay, potentially benefiting local fisheries.

Financial Challenges

Despite securing a $12 million government grant in 2017, the project’s escalating costs have left a funding gap of $83 million. Councillor Garry Bruce, Duncan’s representative on the board, emphasized that the financial burden is too substantial for the municipalities to shoulder without additional support from higher levels of government. Read more on Cowichan Valley Citizen.

Next Steps

The Municipality of North Cowichan is expected to make a similar decision to halt construction until further funding is secured. Both municipalities are advocating for increased financial assistance from provincial and federal authorities to ensure the project’s viability and address the pressing environmental and infrastructural concerns associated with the current outfall location.