9420.pdf

5 WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
5.1 Current
5.1.1 General
Practices in British Columbia
Fish processing plants in B.C. discharge either to municipal or regional sewer systems,
or directly to the environment (mainly the Fraser River, Pacific Ocean, and Straight of
Georgia). To determine the number of processing plants discharging to the environment,
copies or summaries of Waste Management Branch discharge permits were obtained
from the appropriate local MOELP offices. Comparing the number of permits to the total
number of Licensed Facilities (173, see Section 2.3) shows that the majority of all facilities
do not discharge directly to the environment, but are connected to sewer systems.
However, several of the largest processing plants in B.C. discharge to the environment
(i.e. British Columbia Packers Limited, Ocean Fisheries Ltd.), Compared by region, the
majority of the fish processing facilities located in the Lower Mainland (85 %) and on
Vancouver Island (83 %) were found to discharge to the sewer, whereas the majority of
the facilities located in other areas of B.C. discharge directly to the environment
(Figure 5.1). Based, on water consumption rates (Table 3.2) and landing in 1993
(Table 5.4), total discharge volume from all fish processing plants in B. C., except shellfish
processing plants, was 1.5 to 5.5 million cubic meters.
MOELP discharge permits were also reviewed to determine the status of treatment in
place for effluents discharging to the environment (Figure 5.2). Effluent treatment at fish
processing plants discharging into the environment generally involve screening (73 %, or
27 plants). However, three plants (8 % ) ‘located in remote areas and discharging into a
well flushed environment, are permitted to grind and discharge fish offal. To the
knowledge of the authors, B.C. fish processors currently do not implement any further
treatment of the effluent besides screening.
Approximately 38 % of the plants discharging to the environment use 25 mesh (0.6 mm)
screens, but smaller mesh screens are also in use (at least at four facilities). Four ( 1%)
of the processing facilities use basket strainers in drains, screen-covered floor drains, and
other screens with mesh sizes larger than 1 mm. For the remainder of the facilities no
information was obtained, or the size of the screens used is not specified in the discharge
permits. All these facilities have minor discharge flows only.
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