The City of Fernie has been issued a $13,395 administrative penalty by British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Parks following compliance issues identified during an inspection of the municipality’s wastewater treatment system.
The penalty stems from a provincial inspection conducted in November 2025 and a subsequent Compliance Inspection Report, which the ministry referred for administrative enforcement earlier this year.
The ministry said local officials failed to get approval before bypassing authorized treatment works, and also failed to provide and maintain a suitable flow measuring device and record effluent volumes.
Between December 6 and December 8, 2023, 11.7 million litres of untreated and unscreened influent and stormwater was released to the Elk River from the Mt. McLean Drive Lift Station, according to the ministry.
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Additionally, between December 11 and December 13, 2025, approximately 66.8 million litres of untreated and unscreened influent and stormwater was released to the Elk River from three locations, including the Mt. McLean Drive Lift Station, Eckersley Street Lift Station and Dogwood Park Boat Launch.
A third overflow occurred between December 17 and 18, 2025, when another 17 million litres of untreated wastewater was discharged from the Mt. McLean Drive Lift Station.
According to the city, many of the compliance issues reflect a longstanding mismatch between its existing wastewater permit, issued in 1994, and the way the treatment system operates today.
Fernie officials said the issue dates back to major upgrades completed in 2015 that were built with ministry staff approval but were never formally incorporated into the facility’s operating permit. The city said it has been working with the province since 2020 to resolve the regulatory gap.
As part of that effort, Fernie submitted an application in October 2025 under British Columbia’s Municipal Wastewater Regulation, following more than two years of technical studies and preparation. The updated regulatory framework is intended to formally authorize the city’s existing infrastructure while establishing requirements for future upgrades needed to meet current wastewater treatment standards.
The city said it has invested approximately $1 million over the past three years in environmental studies, system monitoring and engineering work to support the application.
Additional measures are also underway, including final engineering designs for wastewater treatment plant upgrades, procurement and installation of improved flow-monitoring equipment, and renewed efforts to reduce stormwater entering the sanitary sewer system.
Municipal officials said in a statement that excess stormwater remains one of the system’s primary challenges, alongside regulatory compliance. Stormwater entering sanitary sewers can overwhelm treatment capacity and is attributed to increasingly intense rainfall, aging pipes and manholes, and private property connections that allow stormwater or groundwater to enter the wastewater network.
Fernie expects to receive registration under the Municipal Wastewater Regulation in early 2027. Once approved, the city will have three years to complete the planned treatment plant upgrades, with full regulatory compliance targeted for 2030.
The city said it will continue working with provincial regulators throughout the process and described protecting public health and the environment as its top priority. Officials also said they will continue updating residents as the compliance process advances.
