Terrace Sewage Treatment Plant | Municipal Wastewater Facility in British Columbia

Terrace Sewage Treatment Plant is an operational municipal wastewater facility located on Heppel Avenue, Braun's Island, in Area C (Butedale/Kitlope/Kitsumkalum), British Columbia. It serves a population of roughly 9,400 people within the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, a region characterized by coastal temperate rainforest and mountainous terrain. As a Canadian wastewater facility serving a medium-sized agglomeration, the plant is subject to federal and provincial regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and British Columbia's Municipal Wastewater Regulation. These frameworks require treatment appropriate to the receiving environment, with secondary treatment being typical for inland plants of this scale to protect water quality. The plant discharges into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Skeena River estuary and the Pacific Ocean. The Skeena River supports diverse aquatic life, including salmon runs that are ecologically and culturally significant. The plant's operation is critical for maintaining water quality in this sensitive coastal ecosystem.

The plant's treated effluent enters the Skeena River watershed, one of British Columbia's major salmon-bearing rivers, which flows into the Pacific Ocean near Prince Rupert. The Skeena estuary provides critical habitat for salmon, steelhead, and other migratory fish species. Protecting water quality in this system is essential for sustaining the region's biodiversity and supporting Indigenous and commercial fisheries.