BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead knows it has a capacity issue at its Dunstable wastewater lagoon — the question is what can be done about it.
Over the last 20 years, the lagoon has reached or exceeded its capacity limits several times and was closed for extended periods in 2007 and 2011. The most recent closure was for closed from late May to early October in 2021. The county also had to make two emergency releases, one in 2019 and another in 2021.
And although the municipality is no closer to coming up with a permanent solution to solve the issue, as long as there is sufficient capacity, septic disposal companies can continue to use it on a first-come, first-served basis.
That is what county councillors decided during their April 5 meeting.
Previously, at the Sept. 21 regular meeting, councillors instructed administration to draft a policy outlining a volume allotment program for the lagoon beginning in 2022.
Public works manager Travis Wierenga said they have two options noting the municipality can either implement a volume allotment program to limit the volume of effluent waste haulers can deposit or continue the status quo where companies can continue to use the facility until the lagoon reaches its capacity, after which the county would close the facility.
If councillors chose the first option, he said, there are several ways they could tackle it.
"We have a few main rollers that go in there," he said. "Essentially, you would be allocating each hauler a certain amount of that 3,236 cubic metres (the annual average of effluent dumped into the lagoon)."
The first option, Wierenga said, follows the historical average, with Dentith allotted 65 per cent followed by Standstone and Sunny Beach RV Resort at 25 and eight per cent, respectively. Under this plan, an assorted number of other companies would be allotted two per cent. The three other allotment options are a variation of the same theme, but where the top haulers receive a smaller allotment to increase the volume for the remaining companies.
"It is a bit of a shot in the dark," Wierenga said. "You don't know what is fair to give."
He added that if the council chose the allotment system, the municipality would need to have the ability to suspend access to a hauler if they reached or violated their allotted volume.
"The process would have to be formalized and adopted in policy, but more than likely, it would involve several steps of warning before a suspension was issued," Wierenga said.
Currently, septic companies pre-pay for lagoon gate entries. Therefore, he said, any policy would have to include a rebate or refund system.
Wierenga noted there are pros and cons of each system.
On the pro side, he said, the first-come, first-served option is the easiest to administer, adding all they have to do is lock the gate when capacity is reached. He also added that as it is more easily managed, they could easily avoid the need for an emergency release.
Wierenga added that the municipality has an agreement with Lac Ste. Anne County for its residents to use their lagoon, noting the distance between the lagoons was only 21 kilometres.
On the negative side, closing the Dunstable lagoon, especially for an extended period, could cause a disruption in service for haulers.
"(Sunny Beach RV Resort) would be the most impacted as they typically only haul during the summer season, the most likely time when we would have to close the Dunstable lagoon," he said, adding lagoon fees of the two municipalities are similar.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun interjected that she met with Lac Ste. Anne County's administration recently, and they reassured her their lagoon had the extra capacity.
"It is significantly underutilized at this point," she said, adding Lac Ste. Anne's lagoon has four cells with its storage cell that has never been used. It was built for the ultimate capacity of all the connections and plan that the counties have to come together in."
However, during a March 1 public hearing on the Lake View Estates Area Structure Plan, Lac Ste. Anne County planning and development manager Matthew Ferris said if the County of Barrhead approved the development, it could strain their infrastructure.
"In the last few years, Lac Ste. Anne County has spent over $200,000 improving that infrastructure. We believe this potential increase of traffic caused by the buildout of 20, 30, or 70 units will cause us to reopen our existing lagoon use agreement we have with the County of Barrhead, which will more than likely increase the service costs," he said.
Later in the meeting, Oyarzun also noted by having a septic usage agreement with Lac Ste. Anne County, they were following the spirit of what the province wanted when they required municipalities to come to the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework agreements with neighbouring municipalities.
Reeve Doug Drozd suggested they use the annual 3,236 cubic metres as a rough guide and not automatically shut down the lagoon.
"If we have a hot, dry, windy summer, we may get the evaporation we need," he said.
Deputy reeve Marvin Schatz agreed but noted it was important that they give themselves some wiggle room and not wait until they are at full capacity before closing the facility.
Wierenga said the 3,236 cubic metres was an average and that staff are continually monitoring the lagoon's remaining capacity.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
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