Tour of new Annacis treatment plant was made recently by GVRD Water & Waste Commit-
tee. Plant will go into operation in few weeks. Committee Chairman, Coquitlam Mayor Jim
Tonn, is second from left.

Annacis Plant Opens Soon

A Provincial cabinet committee has ruled
that the new $20 million Annacis Island
sewage treatment plant can open as plan-
ned within the next few weeks.

The plant was designed and built as a prim-
ary treatment plant but the government last
year ordered that it provide secondary
treatment before going into operation.
GVRD officials appealed the ruling stating
that the plant would provide a level of
treatment more appropriate to the Fraser
River receiving waters than ‘conventional
secondary treatment.’

The four-member committee said in its
findings last month that it “upholds the prin-
ciples outlined in the original order of the

Pollution Control Board for secondary
treatment.

“We feel, however, there are differences of
opinion in what constitutes secondary
treatment and what factors of both primary
and secondary might be most damaging to
the environment...”

To resolve the question of the best form of
treatment at Annacis the governmentis es-
tablishing a committee with representatives
from the provincial government, Fisher-
men’s Union, fishing industry and the
GVRD to study and recommend alterna-
tives. It is to report before the end of the
year.

 

Planner
Resigns.

GVRD Planning Director Harry Lash has
resigned the position because of health
problems.

Mr. Lash, 52, has been the GVRD's Plan-
ning Director since the Department's incep-
tion in 1969. He previously worked with the
Montreal Planning Department.

He plans to stay in the Vancouver area and
will remain in the planning field.

Mr. Lash said he would stay on until a new

successor is appointed and until the De-

partment's ‘Livable Region Plan’ is consi-
" dered by the GVRD Board in June.

Queen’s Park Hosp.

An additional $510,000 in planning funds
for the new Queen's Park Hospital in New
Westminster has been approved by the
GVRD Board.

The hospital will contain 200 extended care
beds and 100 beds for teaching. It will be
under construction this summer,

$4.7 Million
For Parks

A 1975 capital expenditure of $4.7 million
for purchase of property at 10 regional
parksites has been authorized.

Approximately $2 million is allowed for out-
standing expropriations and interim ag-
reemenis and $2.7 million for new purch-
ases.

The 10 regional parksites are Aldergrove,
Belcarra, Boundary Bay, Burnaby Lake,
Burke Mountain, Campbell River, Capilano
River, Derby Reach, Kanaka Creek and
Tynehead.

The GVRD at present owns about 3,500
acres at the 10 sites.

Permits Held Up

The GVRD Board has instructed that all
development proposals for Bowen Island,
which require rezoning or land use con-
tracts, be held in abeyance pending pre-
sentation of community plan policies for the
Island. The Board has asked that the
policies be submitted to it in August.

 

ik Y.

Solid Waste
Energy Source? .

The regional district Board has

approved ae
participation in a study into the potential a eae

using solid waste as a source of energy.

A report to the Board stated that a number
of promising technologies are being de-
veloped in this field. However, for the
GVRD alone to carry out in depth studies
would be time consuming and expensive.
The report says that the non-profit Battelle
Memorial Institute, whose headquarters
are in Columbus, Ohio, and which has
offices in Europe, is carrying out such
studies. {t is presently conducting a study
for a group of Japanese firms and plans
similar studies for the European area and
the North American area. It is proposed that
the GVRD participate in the North Ameri-
can study.

Cost of the study would likely exceed
$125,000, but this is shared by the various
participants. Greater Vancouver's share
might be $10,000.

GVRD Directors felt that since the study
would be of value to the entire Province, the
Government should share in the local cost
and the GVRD will apply for assistance.

Proposal Defeated
By GVRD Board

A recommendation that the GVRD Park
Committee be reduced from its present 21
members to 10 members was defeated by
the Board. In terms of membership, parks is
the largest function of the GVRD, with 21
communities participating. All have one
representative on the committee. The
Board, by majority vote, decided it was bet-
ter to have all participating communities
represented on the committee.

Construction has started on $9.9 million,
296-bed extended care unit on UBC cam-
pus. Project is financed by GVRD, Provin-
cial Government and B.C. Medical Centre.