After decades of debate, years of planning and millions of dollars worth of studies, Greater Victoria is poised to put an end to the controversial practice of dumping raw sewage into the ocean.

B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner said on Wednesday he has approved Capital Regional District plans for a $782-million sewage system upgrade, including a massive treatment plant in Esquimalt capable of processing 40 billion tonnes of effluent annually.

The announcement came just over four years after Mr. Penner ordered the CRD to develop options for a new system in the region.

“I’d like to congratulate [the CRD] for its work in this to date,” the minister said. “After four years of planning and almost $13-million of studies, I concluded that this plan does meet the province’s requirements to properly treat sewage.”

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