Municipality of Brockton to protect aquatic environment by reducing residual chlorine

The Municipality of Brockton is a rural community with a local economy that is based mainly on tourism. With a sewer system that serves 2,100 properties, the municipality faces significant challenges in upgrading its aging infrastructure to comply with government regulations. Because of the deleterious effect of residual chlorine on aquatic life in the receiving water, the proposed wastewater treatment facility upgrade involves replacing the existing chlorination system with a chemical-free ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection system. This upgrade will help the municipality meet provincial and federal requirements and improve the quality of the effluent discharging into the receiving environment. Replicability: • The project has a high potential for replication in similar small communities across Canada Environmental benefits: • Reduction of total residual chlorine and E.coli concentration by 100% and 93%, respectively • The conversion to UV disinfection will result in an overall savings of 671.5 litres of fuel and 1,700 kilometres of travel per year Economic benefits: • UV disinfection will lower operating and maintenance costs by $10,000 per year compared to a conventional chlorination/de-chlorination treatment system Social benefits: • The upgraded sewage treatment system will provide protection of vital regional ecosystems such as the Saugeen River, a popular fishing and canoeing destination in southern Ontario (Project description from original funding application)