North Shore Wastewater Plant Status

The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant (NSWWTP) is a major concern for all residents of Blueridge, and indeed all of Metro Vancouver. The existing wastewater treatment plant no longer meets federal treatment requirements, which now require secondary wastewater treatment. Expenses to renovate the plant have ballooned from an original $700 million to an expected $3.86 billion, there are lawsuits between the original contractor (Acciona) and Metro Vancouver, and the huge cost increases have occurred. North Shore residents will see a substantial increase in their utility bills for 30 years as a result.

And with an additional – and substantially more expensive – wastewater treatment project coming, it is not clear how Metro Vancouver will manage and pay for everything successfully.

This page tracks what we know about this project, as well as providing links to related news stories and organizations that are addressing the problem.

If there is an error or omission, please let us know by sending an email to webmaster@bluerridgeca.org.

Current NSWWTP Status

Note: This is a summary of a much more detailed article concering the NSWWTP originally published in the March 2026 issue of the Blueridge Bulletin. We encourage you to read that article to get more details.

Originally expected to be operational in 2020, the new plant’s opening date is now planned for 2030. New contractors (PCL and AECOM) evaluated the site and work completed to date and determined what it will take to finish the project. In February 2025, work on the plant began to ramp up. Still, some details are scarce because the lawsuits have caused all parties to avoid commenting to the press.

As stated above, the expected cost to finish the project is currently $3.86 billion. At this time, Metro Vancouver has settled on the following payment plan:

North Shore households – those benefiting directly from the plant – will pay $590 per year for 30 years in addition to our current sewer charges. The increase will be phased in over 5 years, beginning in 2025.

Households elsewhere will see additional charges as follows:

  • Households in the Vancouver Sewage Area will pay an extra $150 per year for 15 years.
  • Households in the Fraser Sewage Area will pay an extra $90 per year for 15 years.
  • Households in the Lulu Island Sewage Area will pay an extra $80 per year for 15 years.

Note that in the District of North Vancouver, the Council has elected to use some accumulated funds to reduce the total cost paid by residents for the NSWWTP to some degree. These reductions will only be possible in 2025 to 2029.

Despite how the numbers above make it look, it turns out that only 37% of the total bill is being paid by the North Shore and 63% being paid by the other sewerage areas in Metro Vancouver. Their annual bills are smaller and go on for less time because there are so many more residents outside of the North Shore. That said, while the North Shore pays 37% if the cost of the new plant, it has only 8% of Metro Vancouver’s population.

In an interview, the Project Director, Chris Mealing, indicated he is confident the plant can and will be completed for the currently budgeted $3.86B.

One known expense outside of that budget is the decommissioning of the old Lion’s Gate plant. We won’t have a budget for that until sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.

Additional Information from Metro Vancouver

Blueridge Community Association

North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance

The North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance (NSNA) is a non-partisan group formed in response to the cost overrun issues related to the new wastewater treatment plant. The Blueridge Community Association is a member of the NSNA.

News Archive

These stories come from various news sources reporting on the issue. Note that not every article published is linked here. Many are duplicates or cover similar material, and we may miss some. If you find one that needs to be added, send the link to webmaster@blueridgeca.org for consideration. Thank you!

Published in March 2026

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