Stink spurs city to solve sewage situation
By Kyra Hoggan
Continued complaints about odours emanating from the city’s south sewage treatment plant have Civic Works searching for solutions, council heard at its regular meeting Monday night.
City councillor Kevin Chernoff said the Civic Works department has already expended a great deal of energy trying to rectify the problem – but with only varying degrees of success. “We’re now sourcing monitoring equipment that will identify the specific times the odour is worst, which we hope will help us pinpoint the problem,” he said, explaining modern equipment is so sensitive that it should be able to detect a spike in stink before residents even notice it. “Maybe the smell is associated with a certain activity or process at the plant, and we can change it – if we can isolate it.” Failing that, the best option, according to city head of Civic Works Chris Barlow, is to construct a “cap” for the whole system, which is thoroughly effective but also, unfortunately, hugely expensive. “I think the estimates are as high as $3 million, and we just don’t have that in the budget right now,” said Chernoff. “That’s why it’s important we keep adjusting things and seeking a balance, always looking for solutions, before we take such drastic action.” In fact, he said he expects resident to notice an improvement in the next couple of weeks, based on work being done at the plant now, and the monitoring equipment is expected to be installed an operational by mid-summer.
