Sludge Watch ==> Hawksbury Ontario - violations of sewer laws, effluent, and sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin

This little Canadian town has less than 11,000 people. Lets see .. even a 
low ball sewage plant renovation of $30M is about $3,500 per person.

Isn't it time to explore on site septic systems for these little towns?
Take some people off the big pipe...let them manage their own sanitary 
wastes with commercialized on site systems.

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


TRIBUNE-EXPRESS - News
Town has broken provincial, municipal rules
May 23 2008
by richard.mahoney at eap.on.ca



The town of Hawkesbury has admitted that its sewage treatment plant is 
breaking a provincial law, and that the municipality has not been enforcing 
its own industrial sewage rules.

The town was fined $12,5000 in Provincial Offences Court in L’Orignal 
after pleading guilty to one charge laid under the Ontario Water Resources 
Act by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Ministry lawyer Paul 
McCulloch suggested the $12,500 fine after he informed the court that the 
ministry was withdrawing one charge, and amending another count.

Under the law, the town could have been fined anywhere from $25,000 to $6 
million.

Outside court, McCulloch acknowledged that a factor in the fine amount was 
the fact the town was spending a large amount of money to resolve the 
problems that have dated back to 2005.

The solution to the town’s wastewater treatment woes could cost between 
$26 million and $42 million. Under conventional cost-sharing deals with the 
federal and provincial governments, municipalities are expected to pay 
one-third of approved costs. In Hawkesbury’s case, taxpayers would be 
faced with a bill of $9 million to $14 million.

An agreed statement of facts notes that between May 2005 and November 2006, 
with the exception of May, 2006, the effluent from the water pollution 
control plant exceeded permitted levels. Although the plant was operated by 
the Ontario Clean Water Agency, the town retained overall responsibility for 
the operation of the Main Street facility.

"The town had retained a consultant to find solutions which would permit the 
water pollution control plant to operate within the parameters of the 
certificate of approval. The potential solutions were not addressed in a 
timely manner and the operation of the water pollution control plant was not 
maximizing available biosolid management practices," the statement reads.

"A subsequent investigation determined that limited biosolids storage 
capabilities and the discharge from a few industries into the town’s 
sewers were contributing factors for the exceedances. The investigation 
further confirmed that the town had not proceeded with installing further 
approved equipment that was intended to address biosolids management and 
that the town had failed to enforce its own by-law that controls the 
discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes into the sewage works system," 
the statement continues.

The ministry pointed out that the town has since retained the Thompson 
Rosemount Group as consultants to help OCWA in biosolids management. 
Improvements to biosolids disposal have been implemented at "significant 
expense" to the municipality, the ministry told the court.

The municipality has also encouraged two industries to install on-site 
treatment systems to pre-treat their industrial wastewater prior to 
discharging it into the town’s sewers.

Meanwhile, the municipality has been presented two alternatives that call 
for the expansion of the current installations, at a cost of $26.4 million 
or $42.2 million. The most costly option would be necessary if the 
government requires nitrification, the process which renders ammonia 
non-toxic. The third option, constructing a new plant on the same site, 
would cost $39.6 million.

At the end of an environmental assessment process, council will submit an 
application for funds under a provincial-federal infrastructure program. The 
town is effectively freezing new construction because the plant’s capacity 
is almost exhausted. Although a sum of $6.8 million was spent on the plant 
in 2006, the investment did not resolve all of the station’s defects.The 
standard "do nothing" option is not feasible. In addition to continued 
problems meeting the effluent limits, continued challenges with the 
hydraulic loading, and no extra capacity to service future growth in the 
town, the town must spend approximately $3,000,000 on repairs and 
replacement of equipment at the plant.

http://www.tribune-express.ca/nouvelles.asp?nID=11153