Municipality of North Cowichan Biosolids Management

The Municipality of North Cowichan operates the Chemainus Wastewater Treatment Plant which produces approximately 350 wet tonnes of Class B dewatered biosolids per year. SYLVIS has partnered with the Municipality of North Cowichan for 15 years to beneficially manage biosolids produced at this facility in marginal land improvement, agricultural fertilization, and forest fertilization.

SYLVIS manages biosolids from the Municipality of North Cowichan together with biosolids from another municipality in a marginal land improvement project on Vancouver Island. Biosolids co-management and cost-sharing is an advantage for smaller biosolids generators.

At this site, low productivity fields resulting from recent forestland conversion support a crop of grass and substantial Scotch broom. Biosolids are utilized to improve soil fertility and organic matter levels with an aim to outcompete weeds including Scotch broom and produce a hay crop for harvest or grazing. SYLVIS is converting currently unusable land into productive agricultural fields and enabling the landowner to gain more value from their land.