Sludge Watch ==> Ontario - Sewage costs crippling - small towns can't afford infrastructure

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sludgewatch Admin:

It seems ironic that small rural communities are facing huge costs to build 
sewer systems to protect water sources, while cities like Toronto look to 
spread thousands of tonnes of their sewage sludge on rural farmlands.

It would seem that these rural communities should look into composting 
toilets...
cheaper, more effective at protecting water resources.

........................................................................

Here is a story from the Toronto Sun: 
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2006/08/14/1753500-sun.html




August 14, 2006

Sewage costs 'crippling'
Towns can't afford cleanup
By ANGELA PACIENZA, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Most Canadians don't think twice when flushing their toilets.

But for some Ontario homeowners, controlling their sewage could cost tens of 
thousands of dollars as the province races to bring many municipalities up 
to revised codes.

Many rural communities are installing new sewer infrastructures, in a bid to 
avoid another tainted water fiasco reminiscent of Walkerton. Many rural 
areas now rely on septic systems to handle human waste.

But deteriorating and outdated plumbing leaves them vulnerable to the risk 
of raw sewage seeping into rivers and storm drains that could poison water 
systems.

"Sewage is coming up out of the ground. Kids are playing in it," said Ken 
Oke, a councillor in South Huron, which needs to install a sewer system for 
two of its villages.

"Their animals are walking through it. There's E.coli in the municipal 
drains."

Faced with a multimillion-dollar construction project and too-small tax 
bases, cash-strapped local governments are turning to residents to foot the 
bill for sewer lines.

$6-MILLION BILL FOR LINES

The South Huron council needs about $6 million for the sewer lines in the 
villages of Centralia and Crediton, which have a combined population of 
about 700.

Homeowners could be writing cheques for anywhere between $15,000 and 
$25,000, depending on their lot size, unless the municipality can attract 
funding from provincial or federal governments.

"The cost ... is going to be crippling," said Oke.

At least a dozen municipalities from across the province are struggling with 
how to fund sewer projects.

They share many of the same problems: Small population bases spread over 
large areas mean the cost of delivering services is greater per household 
than in cities, which boast more density. And tax revenue collected is often 
insufficient to fund projects of large scale, such as the sewer upgrades.

A number of municipalities have banded together under the banner Fair 
Funding for Small Communities in Ontario.

Representatives will be in Ottawa this week at the annual Association of 
Municipalities of Ontario conference.