The City of Kawartha Lakes has launched an environmental assessment to determine how Lindsay’s drinking water system will need to expand to accommodate population growth through 2051 in the Ontario community of nearly 23,000 people.
The Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) will examine options for increasing water treatment, storage and pumping capacity for the communities of Lindsay and Oakwood.
According to the city, the study will identify preferred infrastructure improvements needed to meet existing drinking water needs while providing additional capacity for future development.
Several components of the municipal water system will be considered as part of the assessment, including the Lindsay Water Treatment Plant, Verulam Road Elevated Tank, Thornhill Road Reservoir and Pumping Station, and Oakwood Reservoir and Booster Pumping Station.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
The latest environmental engineering news direct to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The study will also consider a potential new elevated water tank in northwest Lindsay.
The city said the assessment is intended to ensure the system can continue providing safe and reliable drinking water as the area grows.
As a Schedule C MCEA, the study will include opportunities for public consultation. Residents, businesses, Indigenous communities and other interested groups will be invited to review information and provide feedback as potential infrastructure alternatives are evaluated.
According to Nafiur Rahman, a supervisor of environmental capital project management with Kawartha Lakes, the city plans to hold public information centres as the study progresses. An Environmental Study Report documenting the assessment and preferred approach will also be made available for public review.
Further information on consultation opportunities and the timing of the Environmental Study Report will be released as the project advances.
The Lindsay Drinking Water System has a rated treatment capacity of 22,730 m³/day and a permitted maximum water-taking rate of 30,685.5 m³/day.
