The study is in, and Collingwood has a plan to increase its interim water treatment plant capacity while it waits on the new water treatment plant expansion to come online.
At their committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 23, councillors got the results of the water treatment plant interim capacity feasibility study completed by AECOM, and decided by a unanimous vote to go with an option that will see water capacity increased by 5,000 metres cubed per day by mid-2026.
“There’s been so many moving parts for us over the last few months, not the least being the unexpected increase in costs and higher growth pressures than we were ever anticipating,” said Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer.
“I’m really in favour of the recommendation and the study as put forward,” he said.
Once council ratifies the decision expected at their next regular meeting, the town will be requesting a quote from Kenaidan – the company currently constructing the water treatment plant expansion – to add the interim works to their plate. They will also retain AECOM to complete a detailed design for the interim work.
If all goes well, the increased flow will start by May 11, 2026.
With council’s approval, town staff will also start negotiations with New Tecumseth to share in the costs. Council received preliminary cost estimates for all the considered options at an in-camera meeting on Sept. 16, but are not currently sharing them with the public as final contracts for the work have not yet been signed.
During Monday’s meeting, public works director Peggy Slama noted that all of the costs for the project will be paid through water development charges, and will be cost shared proportionately with New Tecumseth.
“There are risks, and we know that. But, there is also risks if we don’t do this of having short-fall situations so we’re trying to make the best decision here on protecting the interests of Collingwood and our partner,” said Fryer.
The other two options council considered this week included one that would see the plant working at 100 per cent capacity, which is not a recommended practice, and the other would see the plant expanded in the interim to 9,700 metres cubed per day, and would take an additional year of construction and an increased cost.
As of now, the entire cost of the Raymond A. Barker water treatment plant expansion project is expected in the $270 million range, with an estimated date of completion in 2031 and more water capacity available as of August 2029.
The costs of the expansion are shared between Collingwood and New Tecumseth.
Kenaidan was the lowest of three bidders for the construction, with their bid coming in at $212 million. During a council meeting back in January, the town’s CAO Sonya Skinner clarified that the $270 million figure is broken down to the $212 bid, plus additional costs the town has incurred including completed engineering and construction work, pre-ordered equipment, inspection, records, and a contingency amount.
The Raymond A. Barker water treatment plant is currently operating at more than 80 per cent of its rated capacity of 31,140 metres cubed per day. The full plant expansion will increase the capacity to 59,000 metres cubed per day, and is expected to meet the needs of the community until 2044.
Staff anticipate reporting back to council in public on the final costs for the interim project received from Kenaidan Contracting Inc. by Aug. 15, 2025.
“I know this is of great importance to New Tecumseth and the province as well, so this is great work and very encouraging to see how much interim water capacity we can achieve,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
Once approved at the council level, staff would work to secure Kenaidan to complete work and AECOM to complete a design for an interim water treatment solution that would increase the Raymond A. Barker water plant’s capacity by 5,000 metres cubed per day while the town waits for full expansion to come online.
