The Township of Cavan Monaghan hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday June 30, at their newly renovated Wastewater Treatment Plant at 25 Centennial Lane.
Federal, provincial and municipal representatives, project engineers, contractors and staff joined in a celebration to mark the successful conclusion of four projects related to the upgrade and expansion of the water and wastewater services in Millbrook. The projected included the development of a major wastewater plant expansion with a capacity to service 1000 more residential units than the previous plant, a new water tower, a pumping station expansion, and the extension of sewer and water main services along County Rd. 10 from Brookside to the township offices in anticipation of the new development.
Recurring breakdowns at the former water treatment facilities had become increasingly difficult to address as the age of the equipment made securing replacement parts difficult and expensive. Flow-through at the plant was reaching its capacity on a regular basis. The existing treatment process did not meet current environmental standards due to the levels of phosphorous contained in the effluent, but was allowed to continue, but any expansion of the plant would have to meet the new criteria. An update in the system was required, which would have represented a stop-gap costing millions without addressing the anticipated growth in the community. Besides, unless the plant was expanded for growth, the entire upgrade expense would have to be borne by the 600 existing municipal users. The larger project would spread the cost over more users, and the majority of the infrastructure costs could ultimately be funded through development charges on new homes.
To appreciate what has been achieved through this infrastructure project, some understanding of the process is helpful. The wastewater (aka sewage) treatment process removes contaminants from wastewater through a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes to produce environmentally safe treated wastewater (or treated effluent). The semi-solid waste or slurry undergoes further treatment prior to its disposal. The new plant uses modern, efficient technology with results that exceed the requirements. Effluent from this facility flows directly into the Baxter Creek watershed, and while one of the engineers did not actually drink the by-product as he has promised, the sample produced to demonstrate the effectiveness of the plant was sparkling clear.
The total bill for the entire project topped $21 million, and funding was shared by all levels of governments through the Building Canada Fund, a federal and provincial cost-sharing program designed to address national, regional and local infrastructure priorities. The growth-related part of this expenditure will be funded by development charges levied on each new residential unit, which for a single detached or semi-detached residents amounts to almost $8000 each. With the new Official Plan allowing for the development of 1,000 equivalent residential units, these charges could eventually cover the entire township portion of the expense.
At the opening celebration, officials were particularly pleased to announce that the massive project had been completed on time and on budget, indicating a competence in all project partners who brought this significant project to a successful completion, including consultants RV Anderson and Associates, contractors Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd, H 2 Ontario and Eagleson Construction and township staff Wayne Hancock and Kyle Phillips. According to Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, this is the largest infrastructure investment in the province’s history, and demonstrates provincial commitment to sustainable economic development, job creation and new economic opportunities in rural communities across Ontario.
With that major capital project behind them, township officials can move on to the next items on their list: a new Fire Hall and a new Community Centre. KG
