Anmore subdivision’s wastewater facility flagged by province for 12 environmental violations

The operator of a private wastewater treatment plant serving the Crystal Creek Estates in Anmore has been issued a formal warning by the B.C. Ministry of Environment after inspectors found a series of serious regulatory breaches spanning more than two years.

According to a June 9 inspection report, the facility serving the 35 home residential subdivision – operated by Orion Water Services and owned by 0985381 B.C. Ltd. – failed to comply with a dozen provisions of the Environmental Management Act and Municipal Wastewater Regulation.

These include missing environmental impact studies, improper flow monitoring, lack of emergency planning, and failure to monitor the surrounding environment for contamination.

The violations were uncovered during a planned on-site inspection conducted May 14 by an environmental protection officer, in which both the owner and facility manager were on site.

The inspection found that, despite the facility being authorized to discharge up to 35 cubic metres per day of treated effluent into the ground, it had never completed a qualified environmental impact study covering both operational effects and cumulative environmental risks.

There was also no monitoring of groundwater conditions or receiving environments as required by regulation, according to the report.

“Neither of the documents provided met the requirement of having conducted an environmental impact study that includes provisions for controlling environmental impacts during the operation of the wastewater facility,” the inspection report stated.

The facility also repeatedly failed to meet municipal effluent quality standards. The ministry cited 16 separate exceedances of total suspended solids limits between January 2023 and December 2024 – with some readings nearly double the allowable maximum.

Despite these exceedances, the operator confirmed no notifications were submitted to the ministry, another regulatory requirement.

Additionally, the inspection found the system lacked a proper 24-hour flow meter, relying instead on a “totalizer” that does not meet provincial standards. The facility also failed to establish a mandatory financial security and capital replacement fund, despite being advised in writing more than a decade ago.

In its warning, the ministry emphasized that the authorization will now be prioritized for follow-up inspection. Failure to comply could result in further enforcement action, including administrative penalties of up to $75,000 or prosecution with fines reaching $1 million.

The facility had previously received an advisory in 2018 for similar issues related to effluent quality and monitoring.

The company has 30 days from the date of the letter to report on corrective measures taken.