WINDSOR, ONT. -- Lakeshore Town Council has budgeted an additional $7.5 million to complete expansion at the Denis St. Pierre Water Pollution Control Plant which is now operating, on average, at capacity.
Lakeshore officials say the increase is attributed to new development and the impacts from the pandemic which has encouraged residents to stay how and has affected both water and wastewater usage patterns.
In addition, the town continues to experience “a healthy growth rate” which has surpassed the expected growth in Lakeshore’s 2010 Official Plan.
The town’s Water and Wastewater Master Plan update in May 2018 found the plant that services the northwestern part of the municipality was nearing hydraulic capacity.
Lakeshore is taking the following steps to address the issue:
- Completing an optimization study of the plant in 2018 that resulted in a slight plant capacity rating increase.
- Lakeshore continues to investigate and repair storm water infiltration into the sewage system.
- In 2019, an Environmental Assessment (EA) process was initiated to expand the capacity of the plant. This process is now complete and the Notice of Completion filed.
- In 2020, Council budgeted $2.2 million to commence engineering design work for the plant expansion, which will increase the size of the plant by 70 per cent.
- Council has budgeted an additional $7.5 million for the 2021 budget to complete the detailed design and begin the initial construction of the expansion. The construction of the plant will continue into 2022 with the completion expected in spring of 2023.
As the town works on this issue, new development applications in the service area will be temporarily postponed until the construction tender is awarded for the new plant in 2021.
