The Craigleith area will soon be getting upgraded sewage services.
At its committee of the whole meeting on March 14, The Blue Mountains council voted in favour of a staff report that identified the two preferred options for upgrading and expanding wastewater treatment capacity in the Craigleith area.
The plan will see a new trunk gravity sewer built on Long Point Road, along with a new pumping station to be constructed at the site of the town’s wastewater treatment plant in Craigleith, which is located on Long Point Road.
The plan would also see the town’s septic and receiving station relocated from the Lakeshore Drive pumping station to the wastewater treatment plant site.
In late January, the town held two public information centres on the concepts and options for sewage service upgrades in Craigleith. The project is necessary to replace a 300 mm jumper sewer installed a number of years ago as a temporary solution to allow growth in the Grey County Road 21 corridor to proceed. Through the environmental assessment process, the town identified a number of options for sewage upgrades and expansions in Craigleith. The options ranged from doing nothing to more expensive options like an expansion of the existing pumping station (estimated to cost $16 - 19 million) or build a new sewer trunk line and pumping station on property not owned by the town (estimated to cost $9.5 million).
The preferred option came with a high-level estimate, provided by staff, of about $8.1 million for the project.
Council will make a final recommendation on the report at its regular meeting on March 27. Once the decision is made, detailed design work for the project can begin.
Coun. Shawn McKinlay asked when council would know how the financing of the project would break down with regards to the use of development charges and wastewater department rate revenue.
“How soon will that idea come out?” McKinlay asked.
The town's director of operations, Shawn Carey, said the budgetary impacts would be better known when about 30 per cent of the preliminary design work is completed.
“We will be coming back to council around what the budget will look like,” he said.
Carey did note that the work is growth related and the majority would be funded via development charges.
Mayor Andrea Matrosovs asked about the tree removal that will be needed at the site of the wastewater treatment plant and suggested the town include tree enhancement as part of the project.
Manager of Water and Wastewater Services Allison Kershaw said trees would be part of the project. She said the current trees at the plant property are in “rough shape” and staff would be looking at new trees to act as a buffer between the plant and neighbouring properties.
Council approved the report in a 5-0 vote with Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon and Coun. Alex Maxwell absent.
