Oro-Medonte mulls recreation challenge
A development freeze in Coldwater will be lifted with the completion of a $3.2-million upgrade to the village's sewage treatment plant.
The project, financed jointly by Severn Township, the province and federal government, raises capacity at the plant from 500 cubic metres to 875, an increase of 75 per cent.
"We were at our limit for treatment," said Clayton Cameron, Severn's director of public works.
The additional capacity will allow for the construction of 300 more homes (700 people) in the community of 1,200 people, said Cameron.
Upgrades included replacing force lines from the pumping station to the treatment plant on Upper Big Chute Road, installation of a backup power generator and construction of a new sludge storage facility. Funding comes from the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), with each partner contributing $1,066,667 to the project.
Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton, who attended a recent ceremony at the sewage treatment plant, said the upgrades will benefit local residents and the environment. Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario's minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said the project will help ensure Severn Township has safe and clean drinking water. Mayor Phil Sled said he was pleased the municipality was able to partner with the provincial and federal governments on the project.
Under the five-year, $900-million COMRIF program, three levels of government are aiming to improve water, sewer and waste management processes to protect health and safety.
Posted on September 22nd