Saugeen Shores has a new master plan for its sewer and water systems.
Jeff Graham, Director of Urban Infrastructure for engineering firm Genivar, says the sewage treatment plant in Southampton can handle the extra capacity that would be created if sanitary sewers were installed in the area north of the Saugeen River.
However, he says some stress testing should be done on the plant, just to be sure.
Graham says the testing should be done whether the sewer system in Southampton is expanded or not.
Mayor Mike Smith says they were aware from the start that the capacity was there to handle the extra properties and this new information shouldn’t influence the decision on whether or not to go ahead with the project.
The mayor says by suggesting the stress tests be done, Graham is only clarifying that the plant can do the job.
For the Port Elgin system, Graham says the large pipe that carries treated effluent all the way from the sewage treatment plant to the Saugeen River might be too small to handle future growth.
He says the pipe, constructed in 1972, travels a long way to the river.
He thinks a more practical solution would instead to develop a process with the Ministry of the Environment to send treated effluent to Mill Creek instead.
Overall though, Graham says the sewage systems in both communities are big enough for the 20 year growh expectations he sees.
Councillor Victoria Serda has a few questions about the sewage system, including if expanding sewers in the north part of Southampton will lead to backups in the southern part of town.
Graham says that situation would not occur.
Answering another of Serda’s questions, Graham says the new method of treating sewage using ultraviolet light is highly effective at killing pathogens and hormones from pharmaceuticals that might be in the material.
Serda is also interested to know if a large wetland area could be developed to treat effluent in Port Elgin, instead of sending it to Mill Creek.
Graham says he was involved in past studies of that approach and discovered that winter freezing did not allow for proper breakdown of sewage, and that a vast amount of land would be needed for it to work properly.
Serda says it’s important to look at all aspects of sewage systems for the future, especially when expansion work is being considered.