New NOTL wastewater plant closer to going online: Region
Beset by many problems along the way, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s new wastewater treatment plant could be up and running by the end of the year.
“They still technically want it open at the end of December. They’re testing all the equipment now,” said Gary Burroughs, the town’s regional councillor throughout the project’s gestation.
Burroughs, who was NOTL’s lord mayor when the long and winding road to the new facility first began back in 2010, returned to lower-tier municipal politics when he was elected to serve on town council in last month’s election.
The completion of the plant is almost two years behind schedule. It was supposed to be completed by December 2016. The completion date was then expected by October of last year.
“There were a lot of problems,” Burroughs said.
According to Niagara Region, construction of the plant is almost complete. The Region is still working with the contractor on the commissioning process. This involves getting the plant running and ready to accept sewage. This process is proceeding well. The Region doesn’t expect the plant to be accepting sewage until later in the new year.
Ron Tripp, commissioner of public works, said the plant is undergoing testing of all equipment.
“The system operates on a series of processes and we are testing each one with clean water to get things up and running,” Tripp said.
In the meantime, town wastewater will continue to be treated at the old plant/ lagoons facility. Tripp said there should be no problems.
“We certainly have been approaching capacity. But there is no immediate constraint.”
The new plant is expected to last 75 years, Tripp said.
A Sept. 5, 2017, report presented to regional council cited unforeseen obstacles such as archeological findings, poor shallow-depth soil-bearing capacity at the site, and potential design errors or emissions by an engineering firm. It also cited failed coating on cement and “leaks through the concrete” and “pervasive leaks in the building basements.”
Once operational, the plant will more than meet the needs of the town, Burroughs said.
“It’s got a lot of built-in-capacity. It’s not just replacing what is there.”
What will be done with the sewage lagoons currently in use is up in the air, Burroughs said.
“There’s still one more public meeting to be held by Parks Canada — they own the land.”
Burroughs added that the Region has $10 million set aside in its 2019 capital budget for decommissioning of the lagoons.
Funding for the $43.2-million project was split between the Region ($14.4 million), the province ($14.4 million) and the federal government ($14.4 million) through the Building Canada Fund.