WELLINGTON NORTH – The township has started a multi-year journey to get the Mount Forest wastewater treatment plant re-rated to handle up to 3,500 cubic metres of sewage per day.
On Sept. 13 director of operations Matt Aston presented to council the findings from an ecological study examining the impact of the treatment plant’s outflow on microorganisms in the South Saugeen River.
The study, conducted last year, suggests there have been no significant changes compared to a similar assessment done in 2004.
“Based on this, it is not expected that the wastewater treatment plant effluent is causing an impact to the benthic macroinvertebrate community,” Aston’s report states.
The study begins the long journey toward bumping the plant’s capacity to 3,500 from its present processing capacity of 2,818 cubic metres of sewage per day.
Though council only allocated 187 sewer units in Mount Forest for 2021 (of a 1,164-unit reserve capacity) staff are trying to get ahead of future development and avoid what happened in Arthur between 2014 and 2020, when new development came to a standstill due to a lack of additional wastewater handling capacity.
In a phone call with the Advertiser, Aston said councillors still have another 10 years of “sewer credits” to be doled out, considering an annual 15% allocation cap from the system’s total capacity.
Councillor Steve McCabe told Aston during the council meeting he was encouraged to see capacity below the daily limit for inflow.
“I love that we’re getting out [in] front of this, hopefully early, before there’s a lot more development in Mount Forest,” McCabe said.
Mayor Andy Lennox said there’s likely a “greater sense of urgency” for the township with increasing applications for development.
“We’re seeing the potential for getting to that capacity sooner than we may have in the past,” Lennox remarked.
Last ECA in 2007
Wastewater treatment plants are built for a designed capacity, specified in an Environmental Compliance Approval issued by the provincial Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The last ECA was issued in 2007, with a provision stating the Mount Forest plant could upgrade capacity later, providing it met ministry requirements.
Aston told councillors “it’s still early stages” in the township’s process working with the MECP in understanding what’s needed to satisfy the province that upping capacity won’t have any deleterious environmental impact.
“It’s not critical at this point,” Aston told council.
“But because it’s a long process, it’s critical we get ahead of it and get our head around what’s going to be required to re-rate in Mount Forest.”
