By Pauline Clark
Water treatment upgrades are underway across the province due to Ontario's new requirements under the Drinking Water Protection Regulation (DWPR) that establishes strict requirements for testing, reporting and disinfecting.
 |
Barry Parker, a water operator at the Wahnapitae Water Treatment Plant, conducts laboratory testing for chlorine. |
These requirements are for all waterworks serving six or more residences or supplying more than 50,000 litres of water a day.
Don Belisle, general manager of public works for the City of Greater Sudbury says $1.5 million in upgrades to their well sites should be completed by mid-2002.
The city operates 23 well sites, and all but two met the new regulations. Chlorination equipment is being installed in two Garson-based wells. Remote monitoring and sampling equipment is being installed at the other well sites.
Belisle says the Wahnapitae Water Treatment Plant is relatively new and requires no upgrades.
The city's second treatment plant, the David Street plant that draws water from Lake Ramsey does require filtration equipment and tenders are being called this month for a project that is expected to cost approximately $20 million.
The project is being funded through Superbuild's Millennium Partnership, as well as through three-party infrastructure funding from federal, provincial and municipal sources and is expected to be completed in fall 2003.
The City of North Bay was expecting to turn on their $1.3-million ultraviolet (UV) disinfectant equipment by the end of January. The UV equipment is an interim measure that will kill bacteria more quickely than chlorine can. Although the city is eligible for OSTAR funding, the government's Ontario Small Town and Rural Development's five-year, $600 million program, the city has not yet received word that they will be receiving any funds for the costs of the UV equipment.
John Simmonds, engineer for North Bay, says a large steering committee is currently working through the options for the filtration system that must be completed by 2005.
He says they expect the source for that new system will be Trout Lake, but notes the possible need for a water efficiency program could result in water meters.
The filtration system is expected to cost approximately $25 million and two-thirds of that cost could come from combined federal and provincial grants.
North Bay, with a population of 54,000, is the largest municipality in Ontario that does not filter its water supply.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie will be advertising for someone to complete a comprehensive study that will look at potential threats to their water supply, along with mitigation strategies. The study is expected to cost in excess of $300,000.
Brian Curran, president of public utility commission services for the city, says a review of service water and ground water by the Ministry of Environment has also brought forth a number of recommendations, although there is no word yet on what will need to be done.
The city has a complete water filtration plant that supplies about half the city and the other half is serviced by wellwater that does not require filtration.
Smaller municipalities are also being affected by the new tougher regulations that apply to all 165 water-treatment facilities operated by Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA).
The Town of Thessalon has finished its first engineer's report and applied to OSTAR for funding for the installation of a filtration plant, something residents look forward to since the town has been on a boil-water advisory since October, due to high turbidity levels in the water.
Town superintendent Randy Mosley says a filtration system is estimated to cost more than $2 million and could be as high as $4 million, a substantial amount for a town of fewer than 1500 residents, he points out.
Mosley says they are expecting to receive the MOE recommendations within the next couple of weeks and will then proceed with hiring a firm to design a system so that tenders can then be put out for the project.
Like many other communities, Thessalon has applied for an extension of the 2002 deadline because of the impossibility of keeping to the tight deadline, he adds.
The province established a $3-million fund to cover the cost of the engineering studies municipalities required to determine the measures needed to comply with the new water standards.
The $240-million OSTAR fund was created specifically to help eligible municipalities with populations under 100,000 and local services boards fund water treatment facilities and other infrastructure projects.
While the deadline for communities to meet the requirements of the engineering studies has recently been extended to July 2003, all other requirements, including sampling and testing, remain in effect.
