Kitkatla Village Sewage Treatment + Disposal Upgrade
Kitkatla Village is on Dolphin Island, on the West Coast of BC, approximately 45 km from Prince Rupert. Gitxaala First Nation hired DNA to assist in designing and constructing an improved community wastewater (sewage) system for Kitkatla Village.
When DNA started working with Gitxaala First Nation, the community was operating three independent sewage collection and disposal systems in Kitkatla Village, with each system utilizing gravity mains, a septic tank, and discharging sewage via ocean outfalls. There was some urgency to upgrade these systems as they did not meet the BC Municipal Sewage Discharge Regulations and could not service this growing community’s needs.
Gitxaala First Nation hired DNA to provide Design and Construction Engineering Services for the project. One unique aspect of this project is that the project team decided to locate the new sewage treatment facility (lagoons) on a former landfill area. This site required remediation before constructing the sewage lagoons.
The design of the wastewater system improvements included reusing the existing gravity sewer system and decommissioning the existing community septic tanks and outfalls. The major works included the installation of 1,800 m of buried sewage pressure piping, installation of 1,000 m of gravity sanitary sewer main, installation of three sewage lift stations, and the construction of sewage treatment lagoons, control chambers and a blower building.
