Dundalk Wastewater Treatment Capacity Class Environmental Assessment Feasibility Study

In this feasibility study the Township of Southgate will explore viable options to increase wastewater treatment capacity and quality through a municipal class Environmental Assessment (EA). They will focus on two potential technologies which allow nitrification to occur during cold weather conditions, the BioCord Reactor and the Submerged Attached Growth Reactor (SAGR). The feasibility study will consider whether it is possible to modify the lagoon system for additional treatment capacity, or necessary to transition to a mechanical treatment plant in order to meet revised effluent criteria. Currently the Township is treating wastewater through sewage lagoons, but they are expected to grow by more than 800 homes in the next 5-10 years, and only have the capacity to treat wastewater for an additional 300 homes. The facility is borderline compliant in terms of biological activity when the temperatures are very cold, and in terms of total suspended solids in the spring when there are algal blooms. There is also a possibility that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change will alter the effluent criteria for nitrogen, which would make the facility non-compliant during the winter months. Concurrently, and outside the scope of this feasibility study, the Township of Southgate will be working with the Grand River Conservation Authority to complete a comprehensive performance evaluation of the existing facility. This will include considering opportunities to reduce influent flow, which would lower greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the energy used to pump raw sewage to the first lagoon cell. Also outside the scope of the feasibility, the Township will be testing the BioCord Reactor technology with a consultant and the Southern Ontario Water Consortium at their lagoon site. The results of both investigations will be considered in the feasibility study, which will evaluate the impacts of all options on the natural, social and economic environment of the Township and the urban center of Dundalk using a lifecycle approach. The feasibility study is in line with the Official Plan which outlines a core value of balancing economic development while preserving the natural environment. Expanding the capacity of the wastewater treatment system will spur business and employment opportunities in Dundalk, and support a recent Mennonite community who has returned abandoned agricultural lands back into production. The Township of Southgate will also be investigating the possibility of re-using water from the lagoon system with an industry that stabilizes biosolids generated throughout the Province for agricultural use. The Class EA process includes several points of mandatory contact for input from the public and relevant stakeholders. (Project description from original funding application)