MONCTON, N.B.–TransAqua – the Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission (GMWC) – held its 2014 annual general meeting (AGM) today at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton.
“I am very pleased with the year TransAqua had in 2014,” said Winston Pearce, Chair of the Commission. “Our dedicated team of Commission members and TransAqua personnel came together to generate very positive financial results and meet operational requirements, while also setting the stage for the upcoming $80-million upgrade to our wastewater treatment plant to meet new federal regulations. This upgrade, which must be completed by 2020 at the latest, will result in cleaner effluent being discharged into the Petitcodiac River from our facility in Riverview.”
“Our technical staff also worked extensively with consulting engineering firm CBCL Limited to complete the preliminary design of a biological nutrient removal plant to upgrade the existing infrastructure to a point where it will fulfil our legal requirements by 2020,” he said. “Throughout 2014, we made presentations to various levels of government to determine the best funding options for financing this major upgrade. We expect to announce a decision by the summer. We want to do what’s best for ratepayers in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe.”
“We also went through an extensive rebranding and public outreach program in 2014,” Mr. Pearce said. “We changed our legal name to Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission, having dropped the term ‘sewerage’ to better reflect our mandate, and adopted the trade name TransAqua, which is shorter, easier to remember and works just as well in English and French. We also held open houses for the public at both our Wastewater Treatment Facility in Riverview and Compost Facility in Moncton.”
Commission Treasurer Chanel Michaud highlighted the $6.3-million surplus generated in 2014 by the GMWC compared to the budgeted surplus of $5.6 million. These results were a combination of increased revenues and expense controls. The Commission remained in an excellent financial position again at the end of fiscal year 2014. There are now $23 million in guaranteed investments, including a $5-million contingency reserve. As well, there is $9 million in interest-bearing operating accounts.
The Commission’s type ‘AA’ compost – some of the best in Canada – continued to be popular with the public, municipalities and local landscapers in 2014, as well. A new operations centre at TransAqua’s Compost Facility on Delong Drive in Moncton opened in 2014 and new earth-moving equipment was purchased. An expansion is underway and will further increase capacity by allowing for an additional 5,000 tonnes of biosolids and 5,000 tonnes of wood waste thereby accommodating anticipated increase in volume of biosolids due to advanced biological treatment, as well as to prepare for future growth.
TransAqua / Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission (www.transaqua.ca) was established in 1983 to support the wastewater collection and treatment needs of the Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview tri-community. Since then, it has developed a 31-kilometre collection network and a treatment facility to best deliver on this mandate. It has also become a leader in the reuse of biosolids through the generation of type ‘AA’ compost (the highest grade currently achieved in Canada) as opposed to disposal in a landfill site. The organization is now positioning itself to further upgrade its facilities to provide an enhanced secondary treatment approach that will allow it to meet recently introduced mandatory federal regulations prior to the 2020 deadline.
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Media contact:
Winston Pearce, P.Eng.
Chair
TransAqua / Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission
506-381-0899