Ready for upgrades
Final test needed to clear formerly polluted area; Torbay poised to move on sewage treatment plans
In 2009, a burst sewage pipe threw a monkey wrench in the Town of Torbay’s plan to upgrade its sewage treatment abilities. Now the town is finally in a position to restart the process, said Mayor Bob Codner.
In 2009, a burst sewage pipe threw a monkey wrench in the Town of Torbay’s plan to upgrade its sewage treatment facilities.
Now the town is finally in a position to restart the process, said Mayor Bob Codner.
“The pipe broke and it is what it is. We tried to repair it in a timely manner ... now that we got that out of the way, we’re back to where we were in Year 1,” he said.
The town’s current sewage system was built in the 1970s. It’s a basic system that removes hard materials (like plastic), grinds up the waste — and then dumps it in picture perfect Torbay Bight. The current, usually, does a good job of flushing everything out to sea.
Replacing the system is not a new idea, said Codner, speaking with The Telegram in his community on Sunday.
“When this council came into being ... three years ago next month, sewer treatment was high on the agenda. Even though this type of thing was acceptable in the 1970s it’s not acceptable anymore. Everyone recognized that fact and wanted to get it the hell out of there,” he said in reference to the sewage pipe.
But in May of 2009 the pipe, which brings the waste a few hundred feet out into the bight, was damaged by a storm. It started releasing sewage closer to shore than it should have.
The town secured funding from the province to fix the hole but the process took a year.
Then Mother Nature added insult to injury by throwing another storm at Torbay and reopening the hole. It took another year to fix it again.
Near where the sewage pipe extends into the bight is a small rocky alcove called Torbay Beach. It’s been pretty deserted since 2009 and the town put up large signs warning visitors to stay away. The beach has been closed since.
The Telegram was there for nearly an hour and the only vehicle that happened by only stayed long enough to turn around.
Some residents have called on the town to remove the signs now that the hole is fixed, but Codner said he’s not comfortable doing that yet.
When the hole was finally plugged the town had an environmental impact study done. It showed E. coli present along one part of the beach.
“That’s our concern right now. Is there E. coli still on the beach? And if it is, I don’t think people should be on the beach,” said Codner. “We think we’re being proactive.” Another water quality test has been ordered and is expected to happen in the next few weeks, he added.
If those samples come back negative for E. coli, he said, the town may re-exam- ine its position.
The next step in the process of replacing the whole system is for the town to complete a best available technology (BAT) study in partnership with the Department of Municipal Affairs. It will determine what kind of new system would fit the town.
It could take several more years to actually start construction, said Codner, so he doesn’t want anybody getting their hopes up.
He’s just thankful the town is now in a position to move forward.
“If we can get the BAT study done by say next spring, we should be in a position then to get on with it,” he said.