Erin council and the public recently received a first look into the town’s wastewater environmental assessment (EA) study and timeline.
John Mullan, president and CEO of Ainley Group, which was chosen to complete the EA, attended as a delegation at the April 5 council meeting to explain the scope and schedule of the project.
“We’re quite excited about this project; it’s obviously got some challenges, but it’s obviously got some, we believe, great benefit back to the town and the residents of the town,” said Mullan.
He added his team, which includes engineers and scientists, needs “buy-in from the community” that includes agreement on: recognition of the problem, the solution for growth, and the best solution for wastewater.
“We recognize that we’re talking some serious dollars, serious commitments for the town and the members of the public, so we have a sensitivity in doing that,” Mullan said.
“The project represents a critical investment obviously for Erin and the community of Hillsburgh … we recognize that and it has the potential to have an impact on all the residents of the town.”
Mullan talked about the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP), which has already outlined the preferred solution as a collection system sending sewage to a single wastewater treatment plant located in the southeast corner of Erin. The treated effluent of 6,000 persons will be discharged to the West Credit River.
Mullan mentioned a review of the assimilative capacity study, which allows growth of 500 units combined for Erin and Hillsburgh, would be done by his team.
The project scope also includes examining different solutions to collect wastewater, locations for discharging into the river and different solutions for treating wastewater.
“We do not have any preconceived ideas of what the solution should be or what the solution will be, so we obviously want to make sure we bring a clean slate and examine all alternatives,” said Mullan.
A public liaison committee (PLC) is in the works, he explained, in order to be a conduit of information to and from the team and public.
The PLC would not be a decision making committee, he explained.
“This is a two-year process and obviously there’s going to be times and the public may feel that they haven’t heard anything, therefore this PLC will be a conduit, an avenue, for key process or key stages throughout this study,” he said.
Project schedule
Mullan presented a two-year schedule for the completion of the EA which includes important milestones:
– complete a survey of existing septic systems, topographical survey and base drawings by mid-May 2016;
– recommend assimilative capacity and effluent limits in mid-September 2016;
– hold the first public information meeting in late October 2016;
– finish a review of phase one and two by the end of 2016;
– start phase 3 at the beginning of 2017;
– complete the definition of collection system design alternatives, treatment system design alternatives and treatment plant site alternatives by the end of February 2017;
– complete a phase three report by the end of September 2017;
– hold the second public information meeting in late October 2017; and
– submit the final report in mid-March 2018.
Council chose Ainley Group to complete the EA on March 1 at a cost of $883,770.
The town received a $175,000 grant toward the project from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
