Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Project


Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant

Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Project. Photo credit: Metro VancouverIona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities. Located in Richmond at 1000 Ferguson Road, the plant provides primary treatment to wastewater from about 600,000 residents in Vancouver, the UBC Endowment Lands and parts of Burnaby and Richmond.

For more information regarding the plant’s treatment standards and resource recovery from wastewater, visit Metro Vancouver’s website.

Project Overview

Metro Vancouver plans to upgrade the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet regulatory requirements by 2030 and ensure reliable, high-quality service for approximately 750,000 residents. Key elements include:

  • Tertiary treatment for improved effluent quality
  • Ecological restoration in Iona Beach Regional Park
  • Resource recovery (reclaimed water and biogas for energy)
  • Ground improvements for seismic protection and future sea-level rise

The project is currently in Early Works and Preliminary Design. For details and engagement materials from the Project Definition Phase, visit Metro Vancouver’s website.

Causeway Improvements

Metro Vancouver will undertake upgrades along the Iona Island Causeway from mid-2025 to early 2026. These works will:

  • Widen travel lanes and add a construction-vehicle queue lane
  • Install cycling shoulders on both sides of the road
  • Upgrade underground utilities serving the treatment plant
  • Plant a landscaped boulevard
  • Build a separated pedestrian and recreational cycling greenway
Schedule & access:
  • When: Mon-Fri, 7:00am-8:00pm (extended hours as needed)
  • What to expect: public access maintained, signage and traffic control in place, and occasional single-lane alternating traffic, noise, dust, and reduced parking

Southeast Lagoon Early Works

Preparatory work for the Iona Projects will occur in late 2025–early 2026, including:

  • Construction of an access road
  • Partial infill of the southeast lagoon with sand

Impacts may include: traffic delays, single-lane alternating traffic, construction vehicles, noise, dust, and on-site traffic control