It wasnB次元官网网址檛 easy, but the City of Colwood has decided how its residents will pay their share of the Capital Regional DistrictB次元官网网址檚 new sewage treatment plant.

After public consultations and lengthy discussions, council voted to have current sewer users pay maintenance costs and for the capacity needed right now. Capacity that is being purchased for future sewer users in Colwood will be paid for by all residents.

Like other growing communities, Colwood will need to reserve capacity in the new plant beyond what it currently needs.

How the community should pay for future capacity has been a .

Acting Colwood administrator Michael Baxter said while it was impossible to please everyone, councilB次元官网网址檚 decision attempts to strike a balance.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no absolute right or wrong here,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淯ser pay is always the best system for making people responsible (for) what they use. But who pays for the future is a really hard question, isnB次元官网网址檛 it? There are arguments to be made about why it benefits everybody to have future capacity.B次元官网网址�

The decision addresses all sewer treatment from now on, Baxter said, whether itB次元官网网址檚 provided by the CRD, the city or a private company. The city will be revisiting just how much capacity it wants to buy into the regional treatment facility. Originally the city requested an amount based on population, but the CRD requires a request based on volume.

Baxter said he will be providing council options for the amount of volume to request, including an option to opt out of the regional treatment facility entirely and rely on privately provided sewage treatment, such as that proposed by the Capital City Centre development.

B次元官网网址淭hat decision doesnB次元官网网址檛 (refer to) how weB次元官网网址檙e going to provide sewage treatment. ItB次元官网网址檚 just a decision about how we will pay for it.B次元官网网址�

While there has been both public and political outcry against the CRDB次元官网网址檚 plans for a sewage treatment plant, the project is forging ahead, with the province recently winning a debate over who will control the project.

It was recently determined that outside experts will oversee the project, not the regionB次元官网网址檚 politicians.

With the sewage project still in the early stages, Baxter said, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to provide exact figures on how much current sewer users and non-sewer users will pay. He did say that non-sewer users will likely pay between 10 and 15 per cent of what sewer users will pay.

kwells@goldstreamgazette.com