The township has applied through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) for a $5-million grant.
If approved by FCM, the grant would “go to great length to help with Mapleton’s ongoing wastewater system development,” said CAO Manny Baron.
At the Aug. 28 meeting, Baron informed Mapleton council the township is past the preliminary stage and FCM, which is handling applications for federal funds, acknowledged in a recent email that the application was valid.
“It seems like the good News keeps coming for the Township of Mapleton,” Baron said.
Though there is no guarantee the municipality will ultimately receive the $5-million grant, Baron says he is optimistic.
Baron also noted council has applied for a $1.19-million top-up grant from the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund to help cover the cost of replacing the current pumping station in the wastewater system.
In March, Mapleton began working with CIMA, an engineering consultant firm, following an initial report that found the wastewater system in the township would not be sufficient to meet projected growth in the area.
The township owns and operates a wastewater conveyance system and a lagoon-based wastewater pollution control plant that together manage wastewater for the communities of Moorefield and Drayton.
In 2017, an Exp Services review found that, based on Wellington County 2011 to 2041 forecasts for population, housing and employment, the Mapleton wastewater system would fall short of demand.
CIMA was brought on to peer review the Exp Services findings and suggest possible solutions.
Following the review, CIMA suggested a two-stage process for the wastewater capacity expansion.
First, it was recommended the township re-rate the system, meaning increase the amount of wastewater being treated in the system, from 750 to 1,300 cubic metres per day.
An interim re-rating approval – to 900m3 daily – was issued two weeks ago by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The second-stage suggestion was to improve the pollution control plant, including upgrading the existing pump or constructing a new pumping facility.
CIMA also recommended the township budget $5.2 million for upgrades to the treatment facility to implement a reliable ammonia removal system.
Council and staff are currently in the process of selecting an ammonia removal technology.
Two weeks ago, Baron and councillor Lori Woodham went to Montreal to meet with Veolia, a transnational company that deals with wastewater management, to discuss ways to aerate wastewater. Council also met with representatives from Nexom wastewater company to hear suggestions for lagoon treatment.
To help with the decision between different improvement solutions, Woodham asked if councillors could view Mapleton’s lagoons.
“I think by seeing it again and seeing our system, it would help making our decisions going forward,” Woodham said.
Mayor Neil Driscoll supported the idea and asked staff to circulate potential dates for when they could all view the plant together.
