By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wallaceburg’s drinking water could eventually flow from Lake Erie instead of the Snye River, if Chatham-Kent council moves forward with a recommendation to close Wallaceburg’s water treatment plant.
Outlined in a presentation by Municipal VU consultant Jim Harnum at the June 23 council meeting, the report detailed various recommendations on C-K’s future water supply, including shutting off the idea of building a new Wallaceburg water treatment plant that carries an estimated price tag of $150 million.
Building a pipeline to carry water from the Chatham water treatment plant to Wallaceburg may be a better use of taxpayer dollars, the consultant said.
But that idea isn’t sitting well with Wallaceburg’s elected officials. According to councillors Carmen McGregor and Aaron Hall, more information is needed before a decision can be made. To that end, after close to two hours of discussion, council approved a motion from McGregor to defer the matter to the July 14 meeting.
McGregor, chair of the Chatham-Kent’s Public Utilities Commission, said she wasn’t prepared to make such a major decision without more information.
“There hasn’t been proper consultation on these suggestions, and plans change,” McGregor said after the meeting. “Before we can go ahead, we need to talk to taxpayers. We need input from the community before we make any decisions and you can’t make decisions without having the facts.”
McGregor’s comments were echoed by Hall, who said he supported the motion to defer.
“We have a lot of unanswered questions, as Coun. McGregor has alluded to,” he told council. “Judging by zero deputations tonight, our community is not aware of these proposed changes.”
Hall said that in the spirit of “open and transparent government,” the issue merits more examination and that Walpole Island First Nation Bkejwanong Territory must be consulted as well.
The Municipal VU consulting firm was commissioned by the PUC to study local water needs as part of the municipal Water and Wastewater Management Plan Review needed to map out C-K’s water and waste water needs in the future.
Recommendations by the consulting firm divided C-K’s water and waste water projects into short-term, medium-term and foundational categories, with an estimated $93 million worth of shorter-term projects – also referred to as “green strategies” – ready to go.
According to Harnum, there are flaws in the current plan, noting the high cost associated with Wallaceburg’s water treatment is a major obstacle.
As well, Harnum said the current plan does not “align well” with development in the southwest quadrant of Chatham, which is seeing substantial residential growth. He said such growth is “effectively stalled” unless water infrastructure is expanded to the area.
How to source Wallaceburg’s water supply has been under the microscope since 2012 when an engineering study recommended building a new water line from Chatham. Four years later, that same recommendation was made in another study.
The idea to refurbish the existing plant was also floated, but no action was taken and costs continue to balloon.
Currently, Wallaceburg draws its water from the Chenal Écarté (the Snye River) and the water is treated at the Wallaceburg plant.
The Chatham-Kent PUC has five treatment plants, including Wallaceburg, Chatham, South Kent, Wheatley and Ridgetown. At present, the Wheatley plant is out of service due to a catastrophic fire.
Along with various upgrades, other recommendations include addressing water leaks, which in some cases run as high as 55 per cent, and the possibility of utilizing Wallaceburg’s water intake to provide raw water to Chatham-Kent greenhouses.
A report by C-K chief financial officer Gord Quinton, stressing the exorbitant costs associated with water and waste water infrastructure was also submitted to council. As part of his report, Quinton recommended going forward with supplying Wallaceburg’s water via the Chatham plant.
Currently, Quinton said, there is a $2-billion asset management funding gap for core assets that include water, waste water, roads and bridges infrastructure.