Residential developments in Drayton and Moorefield are at a standstill, as issues with Mapleton Township’s wastewater capacity remain unsolved.
A motion to remove the holding provision from 14 lots on Faith Drive in Drayton, originally introduced on July 22, was deferred after an Aug. 26 engineers’ report from R.J. Burnside and Associates stated the township actually has a capacity deficit of 61 units.
For companies such as Wellingdale Construction, Murray Group and Glenaviland Development, it means more waiting and increased frustration, as their queries received no definitive response and a timeline for progress could not be established.
CAO Patty Sinnamon said when the township looked at numbers provided a month ago, on paper the capacity was available.
“When we looked at the application at the last meeting, we were under the impression that the capacity is there,” said Sinnamon. “(On paper) we were at 734 cubic metres so we had 14 units of capacity available, but operationally we have a deficit. So based on that new information, that lifting of the hold provision should be deferred,” said Sinnamon. There are 865 households currently connected to the wastewater plant, which has a rated daily capacity of 750 cubic metres.
However, operationally, the plant’s capacity is closer to 675 cubic metres per day, leaving a capacity deficit of 61 units. If the Murray Group total allocation of 45 units of capacity is included – 14 of which were transferred to Wellingdale Construction in July – the plant would be over capacity by 106 units. “The existing plant configuration does not allow precise control of the daily discharge volumes, and due to this limitation, the operational total annual discharge is approximately 10 per cent less than the approved total,” states the R.J Burnside report.
Director of public works Brad McRoberts said the 750 cubic metres is more of a guideline.
“It’s very difficult to get bang on and get right down to the last cubic metre,” he said. “But that’s not the issue, the issue is that we have an operational capacity and we’ve already allocated beyond it, even if you looked at the theoretical capacity we’ve allocated beyond it.”
The engineers’ report indicates that as of July 31, raw sewage flows were operating at 105.3% capacity.
John Mohle of Wellingdale Construction attended the Aug. 26 meeting and was disappointed to learn the holding provision would not be removed from the properties on Faith Drive, as previously discussed.
“It is the legal responsibility of the municipality to honour the 45 lots,” Mohle said. “An engineer can have all kinds of ideas, but right now they’re just ideas. If you have an operational problem you can’t put that on the Murray Group. This is a real liability … the lots should not be allocated unless the system is running accurately per unit.”
Councillor Andy Knetsch suggested council meet with engineers at R.J Burnside to discuss the discrepancies and new report findings.
“We’re going on information that is provided for us (so) I’d like to know where these numbers are coming from,” said Knetsch. “I would like to see an engineer here to explain why the numbers are wrong. We can’t allocate what we don’t have and we’re making decisions based on incorrect numbers.”
Mohle stressed, “Allotments are a real thing, they are a legal responsibility that has to be honoured.”
McRoberts said some possible short-term solutions could include putting out a conservation strategy to homeowners asking them to reduce high volume consumption, or conducting tests on the sanitary sewers to identify any illegal connections.
He said groundwater infiltration is also an issue and could be remedied by realigning buried pipes.
“In a simultaneous multi-faceted approach, it can help reduce the discharge currently going through the wastewater lagoons,” said McRoberts.
An additional 1,440 units are expected to be connected to the Drayton/Moorefield system by the year 2031.
For years, the township has been attempting to obtain Ministry of Environment approval to have flow rates for discharges into the Conestogo River increased from 750 to 950 cubic metres per day.
Council has a tentative meeting scheduled with the Ministry of Environment in mid-September, but Mayor Bruce Whale could not promise a solution by the end of the month.
“Hopefully we can get something moving on this perpetual issue of capacity,” Whale said.
“I don’t like to see this holding up development in our community.”
