Thursday, June 4, 2026
The District of Squamish marked the completion of $12.8 million in critical upgrades on the Squamish Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
The major upgrades will increase treatment capacity, provide system redundancy, increase seismic and flood resiliency, mitigate operational cost increases, improve plant performance and effluent quality and decrease carbon emissions. For the project, a new secondary clarifier and concentric ring bioreactor were built, as well as a new septage receiving station. In addition, existing infrastructure was optimized, with a redundant secondary clarifier tank converted into a primary clarifier, allowing it to continue providing value for its remaining useful life.
The WWTP was nearing capacity and required upgrades to meet population growth forecasts and regulated redundancy requirements. In addition, some of the existing treatment units were approaching end of useful life and did not meet current seismic and flood protection standards. The new circular clarifier/bioreactor is designed as ‘post-disaster’ infrastructure and will be able to withstand seismic and flood events.
“This upgrade reflects our work to ensure that vital municipal infrastructure keeps up with population growth and community expansion. In addition to increased treatment capacity, these upgrades will also increase seismic and flood resiliency so it can better withstand potential natural disasters. The upgrades also serve to improve plant performance and effluent quality and decrease carbon emissions and handling costs. We are grateful for the support of our federal and provincial partners to complete these important upgrades,” said District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford.
Work on the $12.8M WWTP upgrades began in 2023.
To support construction of these critical upgrades, the District of Squamish received $7.39 million in funding through the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (Green Infrastructure-Environmental Quality). The federal government provided $4.03 million to the project, and the provincial government provided $3.36M.
“Communities like Squamish cannot grow without the infrastructure to support them. The upgrade to the Mamquam Wastewater Treatment Plant will help protect the rivers and waterways that define this region, while ensuring the community can continue building the housing and services people rely on. This is a significant investment in Squamish’s future and a strong example of how infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and sustainable growth must go hand in hand,” said Patrick Weiler, MP for West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country.
Featured image: (District of Squamish)
