Guelph-Eramosa council has delayed a decision on a new sewage storage facility in Rockwood.
Last month councillors agreed a storage tank was the best solution to address a deficiency in the 12-inch underground pipe that carries sewage by gravity from the Rockwood pre-treatment facility on Alma Street to the city facility about 8km away.
The pipe does not have the capacity to deal with peak flows in the system.
And while those peak flows are seldom reached, the township has to either increase the amount of wastewater it can get to Guelph with changes in Rockwood or build a facility to store effluent when the flow is above 60 litres per second.
Council was expected to approve the new storage facility, at an expected cost of about $3.5-million, at its July 8 meeting.
But councillors agreed to defer the matter to investigate a possible land purchase, to investigate the condition of the underground pipe and to see what effect changing a valve will have on the system.
The land purchase was presented as an option by R.J Burnside and Associates engineer David Paetz, who explained the move could save the township money.
He said the township could construct an underground tank on the current wastewater plant site at a cost of about $5-million or build an above-ground tank on a property directly southwest of the current property at a cost of just over $3.5-million plus land acquisition costs.
“Visually it would be a lot less noticeable,” Paetz said, comparing an above-ground tank on the adjacent property to one on the current property. He explained a tank on the adjacent property would be on lower ground and could be built wider and lower to the ground.
“If people can see it, it’s going to bug them,” said councillor Doug Breen. He also noted, “If you can see it, you can smell it.”
For that reason councillors at first seemed agreeable to an underground tank, which would be less noticeable but harder to maintain.
However, the higher cost for a below-grade tank had them on Monday night leaning towards an above-ground tank on the adjacent property. Yet, as several councillors noted, there is no guarantee the private landowner would be willing to sell the land to the township.
Councillor Corey Woods cautioned council about spending the money on a storage tank when there may be an issue with the pipe itself.
“I don’t want us to put the cart before the horse,” Woods said, adding he doesn’t want the pipe to blow when more Rockwood homes are connected to the system.
R.J. Burnside engineer John Burns said more users will increase the flow in the pipe, but the pressure would remain unchanged.
Woods then referenced a previous report to council and said, “There’s a restriction on the pipe right now – a potential restriction.”
Burns admitted officials are not sure what is causing lower flow rates through the pipe, but Paetz added one possibility could be a valve in the pipe that does not appear to be closing properly, thus allowing air to get into the pipe.
When informed the cost to repair the valve would be $10,000 to $15,000, Breen suggested changing it right away to see what effect, if any, that has on flow rates.
Councillors also discussed an alleged breach in the pipe in the late 1990s by a utility company, and the possibility that particular part of the pipe could have been replaced with 10-inch pipe instead of 12-inch.
Given that concern, as well as the overall condition of the nearly 40-year-old pipe, Breen echoed the concerns of Woods and said council should further investigate the pipe itself to see when it would need to be replaced.
“If there’s bad News to be had, if the cost is going to be substantially higher, I would rather know,” Breen said.
He noted council would be foolish and “irresponsible” to look only at the storage facility and find out a few years down the road the pipe also needs to be replaced.
Breen suggested the township should instead find out what the “jagged little pill” (the cost) actually is and “ensure we only have to swallow it once.”
Mayor Chris White agreed, saying the township needs to address the situation as soon as possible, but it also needs to ensure it is being “methodical” and considering all options before making a final decision.
Council unanimously approved a resolution to get more information on a possible land acquisition for the storage tank, to further examine the condition of the sewage pipe and to replace the faulty valve.
