Guelph-Eramosa residents will have a month to register any comments or complaints about the township’s plans to deal with additional sewage from soon-to-be-developed lands within the village of Rockwood.
On Monday night, council approved the environmental assessment conducted by R.J. Burnside and Associates, which recommended spending $3 million to upgrade the Rockwood wastewater plant and to purchase additional capacity within the City of Guelph’s system, which treats effluent from the village.
Councillors offered little comment on the environmental assessment and were clearly in favour of the recommendation presented by project engineer Jackie Kay.
The other options included $6 million to $9 million to build a new treatment plant to deal with any additional Rockwood wastewater not already sent to Guelph; or $15 million for a new treatment plant to handle all of the sewage from the village.
Councillor Doug Breen wondered if the $3 million overall cost includes replacing the pipe from Rockwood to Guelph.
Kay said it does not, explaining the 12-inch underground pipe that was installed in the late 1970s to connect the Rockwood plant to the city facility about 8km away, has an expected 80-year lifespan.
The $3 million will help transform the current syphon system at the Rockwood plant into a pumping system, which involves installing the pump itself as well as some upgrades to pipes at the Rockwood facility, which may require a small expansion to the current building. The cost will also cover increased capacity required at the Guelph plant.
Earlier this summer the township and city signed a new Rockwood sewage deal, increasing the maximum daily flow from 1,323 cubic metres to 1,710 cubic metres, which officials say is enough to cover the remainder of developable lands within the village – plus some extra for in-filling.
Councillor John Scott asked if the upgraded pumping station in Rockwood would be able to handle effluent from septic systems from township properties outside of Rockwood.
“That would require a completely different agreement with the city,” Breen replied.
Mayor Chris White added the new agreement with Guelph does not provide for that extra effluent.
Council voted unanimously on Monday night to approve the environmental assessment and to direct Burnside and Associates to post notice of the study completion.
If there are no objections over the next 30 days, the project will move to the detailed design phase with an expected date of construction late next year.
