Work on smell in Moncton's north end could cost $46M to $75M, report says

It could cost tens of millions of dollars to implement a Moncton council motion aimed at addressing a pungent smell in the city's north end, councillors heard Monday.

For years, north end residents have complained about a strong, sewage-like smell drifting into the area. Council voted unanimously in February to insist TransAqua either enclose its sewage composting facility in a building or relocate outside the city.

Engineering and environmental consulting firm CBCL examined three options based on the motion, estimating construction costs between $46 million and $75 million. 

Councillors unanimously voted Monday to accept the report and reiterate the February motion.

"It's no surprise, we know it's going to cost money to fix this," Coun. Bryan Butler, who represents the city's north end and moved the original motion, told reporters Monday.

It's unclear if any of the options laid out Monday will be implemented. 

TransAqua board chair Nicolas Cormier told reporters that the utility's board will discuss the issue at its regular meeting Thursday. 

"The motion is non-binding," Cormier said of the council vote. 

"So while we're very invested in doing improvements — we've invested $5 million in improvements already — so there's a will and a desire to improve, but we can't guarantee one of the three options presented is going to be pursued."

TransAqua processes sewage from Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview at a plant in Riverview.

Biosolids removed through the waste treatment process are trucked to the site in Moncton between Berry Mills Road and the CN rail yard.

There, biosolids are mixed with bark and wood chips, covered by large tarps and left to compost.

CBCL's report suggests the most expensive option, at $75 million, would be to construct a building equipped with air filtration and exhaust systems around the sprawling outdoor site.

Brennan Thorne, a manager with the consulting firm, said the structure would be roughly equivalent in size to two Avenir Centre arenas.

Thorne said the option could increase TransAqua's operating cost by $500,000 per year because of higher power costs.

The other options examined involve relocating the composting operation. 

One option would be to expand a site in the community of Five Rivers, about an hour's drive north of Moncton, already owned and used by TransAqua as a secondary composting site. This year, all biosolids were trucked there between June 6 and Nov. 1.

The option would cost an estimated $46 million. 

Thorne said TransAqua's annual operating costs could increase by more than $830,000 a year if it sent 12 truckloads of material north per week. 

Thorne said the expansion would likely require new environmental approvals, triggering a consultation process and the risk of public opposition. 

The final option considered was a new site within 30 kilometres of the city, with at least two kilometres separating the site from a home. The CBCL report says 10 locations were identified as suitable, though no specific sites were disclosed. 

The option was also estimated to cost at least $46 million. It would also require environmental approval and public consultation. 

"However, there is a high risk of public opposition anywhere in the city, or even in the surrounding communities," Thorne said. 

"There's going to be a lot of resistance to developing a site, mostly due to the recent negative publicity around the the composting facility."

Thorne said this could delay approval, pushing the cost of the option higher.

Both relocation options would also mean spending about $8 million to decommission the existing composting site, Thorne said.

The council motion insists TransAqua either enclose or relocate the site, but city staff noted in a report Monday that the city can't direct TransAqua how to proceed since it is an incorporated entity with its own board of directors.

The report notes the board would have to approve undertaking one of the options. 

Cormier, TransAqua's chair, said little about which option, if any, may be favoured ahead of the board's discussion later this week.

"We'll discuss and over the next few months we're going to plan, we're going to strategize, we're going to see what's feasible," Cormier told reporters. 

Cormier said he's not sure how quickly a decision will be made.

"We realized this is a time sensitive matter. It affects a lot of people and we're going to do our due diligence as quickly as we can."

Thorne told council he's not aware of other communities that use a process similar to TransAqua's enclosing their composting sites. 

"So what we were asking for then is something that doesn't exist anywhere else … this would be a brand new concept in Moncton?" Coun. Dave Steeves, who also represents the north end, asked. 

"Yes," Thorne said.

The CBCL report was jointly funded by Moncton and TransAqua. 

TransAqua is funded through service charges on homes and businesses in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview. 

The staff report notes that TransAqua's director of finance will be carrying out an analysis of all three options, how they could affect rates, and potential funding options. 

Butler said if implementing one of the options required the municipality to contribute funds, it's spending he'd support. 

"Air quality is a very important thing to me in the north end, and I think that we have to put our money where our mouth is," Butler said. "If it's an issue and they can solve it, I would agree within reason."