The Town of Collingwood has said the sanitary forcemain failure event that occurred on July 24 was caused by construction activity near 31 Huron St.
According to a news release sent by the town on Monday evening, staff have now confirmed that the sanitary forcemain failure at Huron Street and Heritage Drive was caused by construction activity. Forcemains are pipelines that convey wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump or pneumatic ejector to a discharge point.
"Drilling at the site caused direct damage to the forcemain, however the town intends to undertake further inspections of the forcemains to determine if there is any other damage," noted the town's manager of public relations Christa Carter in the release.
"The developer and builder responsible for the construction activity have been co-operative in fixing the issue."
Town staff estimate that approximately 1,500 cubic metres of untreated sewage was discharged during the July 24 event, however 115 cubic metres was hauled to the wastewater treatment plant for treatment and another small pump was set up to send liquids to a nearby sanitary manhole.
"The health and safety of the public is the town’s No. 1 concern," said Carter, also noting that out of an abundance of caution, the town has posted swim advisory signs along the waterfront including the promenade, Birch Street, Millenium Park, boat launch and Sunset Point.
"The town is working with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and will be testing the water in the recreational swimming areas. Signage will be removed and public notification will follow when the swim advisories are lifted," she said.
