xʷəyeyət | Iona Island

Located on xʷəyeyət (Iona Island) in Richmond, BC, the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (IIWWTP) occupies a complex site of intersecting human and ecological systems. Situated directly across from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm/Musqueam, in the Fraser River Estuary, and in the middle of Iona Beach Regional Park, the existing treatment facility is one of the last plants on North America’s west coast with only primary level wastewater treatment.

The IIWWTP Projects will upgrade the existing plant to tertiary-level treatment with a complementary range of ecological restoration projects. Space2place led the park design, developing a compelling vision to restore ecological processes of north Sturgeon Bank and protect the diversity of ecosystems on Iona Island. Achieving these complex goals involves many of the most pressing contemporary challenges facing our discipline including climate change adaptation, engaging with diverse stakeholders, coordinating a large multidisciplinary team, and working within sensitive ecosystems and multiple jurisdictions.

Defining issues for this project are ecological restoration and climate adaptation. Existing infrastructure in the Fraser Estuary has disrupted natural estuary processes, directly impacting juvenile salmon and other aquatic species. This project will reconnect the river and sea by reopening the causeway, creating off-channel habitat, and restoring intertidal wetlands. These efforts will help out-migrating juvenile salmon access critical rearing habitat. Regenerating and expanding the freshwater wetland complex and restoring uplands areas will enhance native and novel habitats and benefit numerous aquatic and terrestrial species, including the many birds that use Iona Island as a stopover on the pacific flyway. Climate change also poses a significant threat to this region, with projections estimating 1.0 metre of sea level rise by 2100. To address this pressing ecological threat and increase Iona Island’s resilience, this project will restore the foreshore and implement ecosystem-based flood protections strategies.

The IIWWTP Projects are a unique opportunity to implement a transformative model that integrates urban infrastructure with ecological restoration, climate change adaptation, and Indigenous reconciliation and will undoubtedly create a significant and ongoing legacy for the region.