Image: Google Maps June 2023 / The District of Hope wastewater treatment facility at 63701 Tom Berry Road in Hope.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Administrative penalties

B.C. govt. refers Hope wastewater facility for administrative penalties due to alleged non-compliance

Mar 18, 2025 | 12:30 PM

HOPE — The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks has referred the District of Hope for administrative penalties over alleged non-compliance of its wastewater treatment facility on Tom Berry Road in Hope.

According to a B.C. government report dated March 7, 2025, involving file number 4125 and report number 238081, an environmental protection officer, Michael Jeffery, visited the facility at 63701 Tom Berry Road on February 5, 2025, to conduct a scheduled on-site inspection of the wastewater facility, operated by the District of Hope. The intent behind the visit was to measure compliance with the Environmental Management Act and a related permit, which allows the discharge of effluent to the Fraser River. The permit was first authorized on November 27, 1975, and was most recently amended on July 7, 2020. Officer Jeffery was accompanied by, and received supplementary information from, District of Hope employees Bob Clarke, Stephen Glasson and Ross Blackwell. The inspection assessed compliance from January 1, 2024, to February 5, 2025.

Jeffrey observed three aerated lagoons, two dissolved air flotation (DAF) filters and related appurtenances. According to the report, district staff told Jeffrey that despite repeated attempts to obtain grants to help with the costs to install a new outfall, the outfall currently in place is the same mechanism that was installed in 2017 as an emergency temporary measure. District staff told Jeffery the municipality plans to package the new outfall together with the installation of a new influent screen as a future project that will be completed, but at the time of the inspection report dated March 5, the temporary outfall was still in use. Jeffery went back to review the B.C. Ministry’s Authorization Management System database and confirmed that the District of Hope has not applied to amend the permit to authorize the temporary outfall or a new outfall.

The report states that on January 23, 2025, staff from the Ministry’s authorizations team were on site for a visit in conjunction with amendment job number 424354. At the time of the visit, ministry staff observed that the terminus of the outfall was exposed above ground and not below the low water mark of the Fraser River (pictured below).

Image: B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks

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District staff told Jeffery at the time of the inspection that the river has shifted over time, resulting in the end of the outfall being exposed for periods of the year when the river is low. District personnel also confirmed that this area is accessible to the public for recreational purposes.

However, the March 2023 ministry response clarified that the current outfall is not approved by stating the following: “The Ministry’s mandate is to protect the environment and human health, we do not consider amending permit holders into compliance for emergency temporary measures that were intended to be a short-term solution to coming into compliance. The temporary outfall does not meet the outfall standards in the MWR and poses risks to the environment and human health. The Ministry has been very clear that a permanent outfall is required. The District of Hope will remain in non-compliance until a permanent outfall is in place and authorized.”

The B.C. Ministry wrote that the continued violation of failing to discharge from the authorized works between February 29, 2024, and February 5, 2025, is being referred for an administrative penalty, the consequences of which were not revealed in the provincial report.

Another instance of alleged non-compliance stems from district staff telling Jeffery that the effluent does not receive treatment by DAF filters during mechanical failures or power outages. Jeffery reviewed the non-compliance reports submitted within the inspection period and noticed there were several instances during the inspection periods when the filters were bypassed due to power failures or issues with the lift pumps. Officer Jeffery reviewed the correspondence on file with the Ministry and found no bypass approvals issued within the inspection period.

The District of Hope has acknowledged the referral for an administrative penalty following a recent inspection of the community’s Pollution Control Centre, also known as its wastewater treatment plant, by the Ministry of Environment and Parks.

“The inspection identified deficiencies in compliance reporting,” the district wrote in a statement provided to Fraser Valley Today. “The District has since taken corrective action, implementing measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Treated wastewater from the District’s facility is discharged to the Fraser River.”

The District of Hope says that in 2017, sedimentation in the river plugged the original outfall pipe, leading to the installation of a temporary outfall that remains in place. This temporary outfall is not authorized under the current wastewater discharge permit and has contributed to non-compliance. In 2022, the District submitted an application for phase 2 infrastructure upgrades, including a permanent outfall, through the UBCM Canada Community Building Fund Strategic Priorities Fund. Although supported by the province of B.C., the application was not approved.

The District of Hope says funding has now been allocated for this critical project in the 2025 municipal budget. Planning, design, and environmental studies are actively underway, with construction anticipated to commence in 2026.

“The District of Hope is committed to ongoing investment in its Pollution Control Centre, ensuring the community’s wastewater infrastructure meets regulatory requirements while addressing the challenges associated with growth and evolving environmental conditions,” the district said. “If the referral advances to a Notice Prior to Determination of Administrative Penalty, the District looks forward to providing additional information and working collaboratively with the Province to address these matters.”