Orangeville sewage treatment plant requires $1M repair after biosolids spill.
After two years of exploratory surgery, the bowels of the Orangeville sewage treatment plant still have some digestive issues.
The town is planning to spend about $1 million to replace the roof of an anaerobic digestor at the Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) after attempted repairs and multiple tests following a biosolids spill have concluded it cannot be fixed.
In April of 2015, operators at the facility on Townline noticed the roof on one of the WPCP’s two digestors had lifted off its anchors, allowing biosolids to escape and spill down the walls onto the ground.
“It is a little bit like a can of pop that has been shaken up and just cracked a little bit.
However, several attempts and multiple air pressure tests later, town staff have determined the roof needs to be replaced.
While the digestor passed a water leakage test, Jones has advised council it failed four air pressure tests conducted between June of 2016 and this past April.
On June 26, council directed town staff to draw an additional $515,800 from the town’s wastewater reserve to put toward the $1 million digestor roof replacement.
For several years, Orangeville’s sewage treatment plant has been undergoing a $26 million expansion to increase the daily amount of wastewater it can handle to 17,500 cubic metres from 14,400 cubic metres.
Jones has advised council that work is near completion.