A $1.1m upgrade to Mainstream Canada''s Pacific National Processing facility has improved ocean water quality for residents of Tofino and for the West Coast of Vancouver Island, according to the company.
Early this year, Mainstream Canada completed an upgrade of the waste water treatment system in its Tofino-based Pacific National Processing plant. The system has been in operation since this spring.
The plant produces 200m3 of waste water per day. The wastewater contains solids, blood and other compounds common to both farmed and wild salmon processing facilities.
Until early 2011, the wastewater flowed through the District of Tofino sewage system and was discharged to the marine environment with minimal treatment. Mainstream Canada had been actively looking for ways to further reduce this waste and decided to work with Delta B.C.-based Muddy Waters Technology, which built a unique air and pressurised ozone system that treats the processing water before it is passed on to the District of Tofino's system.
The wastewater system uses a series of processes to separate solids from liquid. Those solids are shipped away and recycled into compost. The remaining liquid is sent through a pressurised ozone system for disinfection.
Once the ozone treatment is completed, the effluent passes through ultraviolet light to destroy any remaining ozone before the effluent is sent to the district.
"Our new system makes sure the waste water coming out of our plant is clean and free of any materials which could have a negative impact on the ocean environment," said Dave Pedersen, plant manager at Pacific National Processing. "We're pleased we were able to use a made-in-B.C. solution to reduce our environmental impact and improve the quality of ocean water in the Tofino area."
