Ontario Construction News staff writer
The federal government will not delay plans to build a controversial wastewater treatment plant in the Town of Erin, despite urging from conservation groups and residents.
In a decision released last week, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson said that adverse effects from the facility “will be limited through project design” and that the plant will need to adhere to a host of environmental laws.
A coalition of conservation organizations and concerned residents had asked for a federal environmental impact assessment that would have delayed construction on the initial phases of the facility expected to start later this year.
The Coalition for the West Credit River said in a statement that the fight to stop the plan will continue, stressing the WWTP’s effluent discharge into the West Credit River will pose a threat to cold water brook trout habitat through temperature change.
“We will continue on with our work to protect this highly valued cold water brook trout population in the West Credit River,” said coalition chair Judy Mabee in a press release after Wilkinson’s decision.
“We are more than willing to work with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other federal and provincial regulators, including the Town of Erin and its consultants, to continue to advocate for a wastewater plant that sets a new best in class industry standard for the protection of sensitive cold water receiving streams.”
Residents say the community consultation process was flawed. An online petition in support of a federal review garnered more than 22,000 signatures, while some 670 people wrote letters to Wilkinson asking for a pause on the project.
The plant is needed to support construction of several new subdivisions in the Town of Erin, about 80 kilometres northwest of Toronto. The population of the town is expected to grow to 10,000 by 2040 – more than double current levels.
Already in late design stages, plans for the facility were approved by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks in August 2019.
The Town of Erin council welcomed the response from the environment minister.
“This is a key infrastructure project for the sustainable growth of our community,” the town said in a news release. “We would like to reiterate that council is committed to ensuring that we create a prosperous, healthy, environmentally progressive, livable, and inviting Town of Erin.
“The protection of our environment will remain at the forefront of our discussions as this project moves forward and our advocacy with the higher levels of government is focused at making this project a viable and sustainable solution for Erin and our residents.”
The plan to add new businesses, create more jobs, keep our schools open and spread the tax burden between commercial and residential properties, can only happen if the plant is built, council says.
“Being able to welcome more residents and businesses means additional tax dollars to help us replace or maintain the infrastructure we rely on every single day.”
The current site of the plant was approved by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and all stakeholders including the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC), based on study findings.
“According to WSP, our technical consultant firm, this plant will adhere to one of the strictest
effluent requirements in North America,” council contends. “Although, the ESR concluded that it was not necessary to reduce the effluent temperature, we will monitor the temperature of the effluent after construction to ensure it meets the necessary environmental requirements.”
The full build out of the wastewater treatment plant will occur in stages over many years.
The project will be built in phases, with construction expected to start in summer 2021. Developers are paying for the costs associated with the building the wastewater treatment plant and main trunk lines. In the coming weeks we are looking forward to sharing some important updates with regards to financial agreements in place with the development community for the wastewater project.