For a community without a sewage treatment facility, it may seem ironic that council has just approved the demolition of the now abandoned wastewater facility at the Erin high school.
On April 17, council reviewed a letter from Clyde Sterry of the Upper Grand District School Board, asking permission to demolish that facility.
He wrote, “As you know the UGDSB has been waiting since July 2011 for permission to demolish the abandoned wastewater treatment facility on the north side of the Credit Valley Conservation lands at Erin District High School.”
Now that another school year is drawing to a close, Sterry asked once again “so that we may complete the project in a timely and safe manner.”
The request came on the heels of a recent report by Matt Pearson about Erin’s Servicing and Settlement Master Plan.
Master plan discussion
Pearson said at a previous meeting he discussed with council materials that would be used in the background report for the plan (SSMP).
Pearson said since then a number things have been accomplished. The report was distributed to council, committees and appropriate agencies.
That report is on the town website at www.erin.ca/definingerin/. A public meeting on it is set for May 8 at Centre 2000.
Pearson said ideas and values were combined with the scientific investigation and data. The vision statement talks about what people would like Erin to become.
Pearson was also at council to discuss the problems and opportunity statement, which he shared only with councillors. He said in a master plan, the idea is to use planning to the municipality’s advantage.
In the case of a settlement servicing plan, Pearson said it is about solving problems and getting the municipality ready for the future. “It is a strategy to move forward.”
Pearson said the background report is full of data, and the mission and vision statement helps to bring that out.
“This is about servicing settlement master plan. It was meant to look at servicing in the long term.”
He said the statement would be at the public meeting.
He also said the process is still not at the stage of solving the issues – but what the focus will be to develop strategies to address issues. The town does not have a long term servicing strategy.
He cited the recent Solmar presentation to council that outlined the prospects of a 300-acre industrial and residential development at the northern edge of Erin village. “But the SSMP is not just about development, although development is part of it.”
Pearson said there needs to be a look at existing servicing.
“The irony is that 25 years ago, this was looked at for the village of Erin.”
At that time, the municipality went through the environmental assessment process but nothing happened. Problems did not get solved – but they still exist.
“There are very old septic systems which will need to be dealt with, one way or the other,” he warned.
Pearson said the urban communities can be serviced – or council can make the decision to do nothing. Doing nothing, will result in other issues that will have to be addressed.
“There is no null decision – something has to happen – or other things will happen.”
He cited source water protection legislation that will also have an impact, and a whole new set of rules to deal with.
Councillor Josie Wintersinger saw council facing a giant change. But she said the decision is not necessarily what needs to be done, but where the money is coming from.
“That’s our biggest hitch.”
Abandoned treatment plant
Mayor Lou Maieron said it has been three years and about $300,000 into the process and only now is it getting into the heavy lifting of looking for a solution.
He, too, referred to the Solmar presentation that indicated a developer might be interested in a modular treatment facility.
“We have our interests to look after,” Maieron said.
He said there is for a town that had not moved with sewage treatment, and it is now considering allowing the demolition of a local school board’s plant that the town helped to build.
He asked if there is potential of re-using the school board’s abandoned wastewater facility to address the town’s needs.
The answer was no.
Pearson knew the facility existed, “but I suspect it’s not big enough to accomplish what you need – by any stretch.”
His understanding is the plant never worked properly because there was never the use to make it work properly.
But Pearson had no explanation of why people would not have connected to the system. He said the ability to treat one’s own septage is important, but the school board facility is not large enough, nor does it have sufficient buffers.
Council later approved demolition of the abandoned wastewater treatment facility.
