As the Town of Erin, Ontario, continues to build a wastewater treatment plant to service the community, project officials say that a sediment control bag recently malfunctioned during project construction and resulted in the discharge of sediment on Water Street and into the adjacent Credit River.
Town of Erin officials publicly announced on August 15 that they had notified the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) was notified of the small release of sediment, which has not posed any threat to the environment, local officials noted.
The sediment control bag has since been replaced, local officials added.
The new wastewater treatment plant will carry all wastewater flows to a single wastewater treatment plant and eliminate the current reliance on aging septic tanks within the Village of Erin and Hillsburgh, about 80 kilometres northwest of Toronto.
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The sanitary gravity sewer and twin forcemain construction in Erin Village began in July and may be completed by the fall. The sewer installation will utilize a trenchless pipe installation method known as microtunneling.
According to a report by WSP, the new wastewater treatment plant will include Canada’s first municipal effluent cooling system to limit effluent discharge temperatures and ensure that the coldwater aquatic habitat of the West Credit River will not be affected. Construction work on the plant is currently in progress and is anticipated to be completed by the spring of 2025, with the outfall to be finished later this summer.
Letter to the Editor from The Coalition for the West Credit River in response to this article
Contrary to the claim made by local officials that the small sediment release did not pose any threat to the environment, photos have circulated, casting doubt on this conclusion.
The Coalition is concerned with witness reports and photos of a light grey plume moving through the riverine ecosystem and the deposition of a similar light grey material settling into the riverbed.
We question:
• Did a Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) inspector actually attend the spill site and take turbidity measurements to support its conclusion of a ‘harmless slurry of sand and groundwater’?
• Did the sediment spill exceed the 25 milligrams per litre above the background target recommended in the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for erosion and sediment inspection and monitoring in Canada?
• Does the contractor have a certified erosion and sediment control inspector on this project?
When a sediment bag fails, if it is doing its job, it is considered a catastrophic event when those captured pollutants enter the river. Sediment deposited on the bed of the stream can suffocate and kill sensitive aquatic insects such as mayflies, caddis flies, and stoneflies. These species are the food source for predators like trout. Suspended sediment can suffocate developing fish embryos in the riverbed and damage the gills of sensitive fish species like Brook Trout. This is why the Fisheries Act has designated sediment as a deleterious substance, and the CSA Group has sediment control standards to protect the aquatic environment.
The MECP, the Town, and the contractors are responsible for ensuring the protection of aquatic life in the West Credit River and should:
• Determine the cause of the dewatering bag leak to ensure it does not happen again.
• Use contractors properly trained in erosion and sediment control.
• Have qualified people investigate environmental spills using the correct procedures.
• Exercise caution in making statements that lack a factual basis.
This environmental release was too quickly dismissed and swept under the rug. However, we can all be good stewards of the environment by taking photos and reporting these types of environmental incidents to the Spills Action Centre at 416-325-3000 or Toll-Free at 1-800-268-6060.
Coalition for the West Credit River: http://www.CWCR.ca