Deep doo doo

The County received a bit more help from the federal government this week toward paying for Picton’s new sewage treatment plant. MP Daryl Kramp brought with him a cheque for $11 million—a $1 million grant and a $10 million loan issued on favourable terms to the municipality. The funds were provided through the government’s Green Municipal Fund. “Our government is proud to support Picton as it improves energy ef- ficiency in its wastewater treatment plant and serves as an example to other communities,” said MP Kramp. “This new plant will provide a higher level of treatment than the existing plant, improve wastewater quality and allow for more sustainable future development and growth within the Picton area.” Above: MP Daryl Kramp, Mayor Peter Mertens and Berry Vrbanovic representing the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which manages the Green Municipal Fund.

Municipality takes control of new Picton sewage plant

Nearly a decade after the municipality began planning for a new sewage treatment facility in Picton, local municipal officials joined, MP Daryl Kramp and the head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on Tuesday to officially open the new facility.

Likely fewer would have predicted in 2003 that the town’s sewage would one day be drained down to Delhi Park only to be pumped up to a new treatment plant perched on the side of Macaulay Mountain. Likely fewer would have predicted it would cost $30 million—more than three times the original estimates.

Nevertheless, the plant is now fully functioning— offering an enchanting view over Picton and its harbour. The new plant is capable of processing as much as 6,000 cubic metres a day, though in practice the facility typically moves less than half that volume through its series of screens and filters in a day.

The plant was opened once before, in the final days of Leo Finnegan’s tenure as mayor. It was during his time in office that most of the heavy lifting was done to get the project off the ground and built. Yet it is only in recent months that management of the plant has been transferred from the contractor’s people to County staff. Originally the federal and provincial governments signed on to fund a third of the cost of the infrastructure renewal— but when the deal was signed, the estimate to replace the plant had risen to $18 million. MP Kramp and then-MPP Leona Dombrowsky each pledged $5.2 million on behalf of their respective governments.

The municipality hired a consulting engineer who calculated that the cost of the plant had risen to $22 million. But when the bids were received the lowest tender was a full $6 million higher than the expert’s estimate. In the end the final price tag for the plant was $29 million.

Mayor Mertens had attempted to carve more money out of the federal and provincial government; after all, they had agreed to fund two-thirds of the cost. But the province and the federal governement were sticking to their pledge of $5 million.

As the cost of the plant continued to rise with every new estimate, the federal and provincial share of the cost actually shrank.

This week, however, the federal government came up with an additional $1 million grant and low-interest loan for $10 million.

With the final bill ready to be tallied, it is the County water and wastewater service user who is on the hook for the largest portion of the cost—perhaps as much as $20 million. Water service users in Ameliasburgh, Consecon and Carrying Place are subsidizing Picton’s sewage treatment.Wellington water and wastewater users—both new and large capacity facilities—are also subsidizing Picton’s hillside sewage treatment plant. On Tuesday all this seemed ancient history as officials gathered to praise the builders, developers and funders. Missing from the photo was the water and wastewater ratepayer—the one who will be paying for Picton’s poo to flow uphill.