OLD & NEW BUSINESS
A letter has been received letter from the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, regarding the Combermere Community Hall, stating that the water has been tested there and it has been deemed suitable for drinking.
OCWA 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) submitted their 2012 Annual Report with respect to the Barry’s Bay Wastewater System.
Chair Shaun O’Reilly indicated that the report stated “the highlights the parameters in which the waste water plant has to work and which it has worked,” inviting CAO Bryan Brown to give the highlights or lowlights on the report.
“You’ll notice on page eight of this report, which is referred to as a Compliance Report Card, we are fully compliant as a municipality with regards to the requirements under the Ministry of the Environment,” Brown stated, adding that is yet another good report for the system.
Under the heading of Operating Problems in the report, Linda Neuman, committee member, questioned, “Are there still operating problems or are they being resolved, because according to this there is only one train operational at a time, as the flows are not large enough to support both trains. However, they talk about the process has been moved from one train to another in several locations because of the expansion joint. Is that…?”
“That’s exactly what it is. An expansion joint is being repaired and for a bunch of engineers who were going to put some epoxy in a crack, they didn’t think the cold weather was going to be a problem,” O’Reilly began. “But they found out after they put it in that the cold weather is going to be a problem. So there’s another delay in fixing [it]. And we’re talking about the crack across the bottom of the floor, okay. And, of course, with the crack in the bottom of that one tank, that train is inoperable.”
“With regard to the septage unit, is that going to be dealt with Watson & Associates when they come to discuss rates and do their study?” Neuman questioned.
“Well, I think, if I may Mr. CAO, I think that the septage unit has not received any septage yet, as we speak, and I don’t think that as a committee we should really be considering any rate at this point in time, when the whole plant…because of the disposition of the septage requires the whole facility of the plant. It’s not like you jump in on the back half of the process. The septage is introduced at the start of the process and uses the whole plant. So we shouldn’t be looking at overweighting it or overloading it in any respect. So right now the septage, I think, is…the committee has given no direction to accept any and I don’t think we should be considering any at this point in time.”
“So my question is: Is Watson & Associates going to be looking at the septage unit and the operation of it, and the rates or anything like that?” Neuman asked.
“They’ll look at rates. They’ll have nothing to do with operation. Watson’s are economists,” O’Reilly explained. “Once they establish the rate, then it will be up to the municipality whether or not it wants to accept it. We’re capable of doing that.”
O’Reilly pointed out a summary of complaints of which “there were…six of them related to odour, which I think has been looked after with the filter covers, and there was a backup into someone’s unfinished basement and that was caused by a blockage in the collection line. It’s been rectified.”
As there were no other questions or comments from the table, a motion was made to pass the report as presented, and it was passed by the committee.
“Now, the reason for needing a resolution for that is because it is a requirement by the province that we make this a public document. It’s not part of the public record; anybody can have access to” Brown stated.
If anyone wishes to get a copy, they can pick one up at the town hall office and it will also be made available online, through the township’s website www.madawaskavalley.ca.
Story continues in the February 20, 2013 issue of The Valley Gazette.