West Nipissing is taking steps to resolve sewage overflow problems in Verner and Field.
Ontario’s environment commissioner identified both communities as well as 42 others across Ontario where sewage pollutes local waters.
Jay Barbeau, the CAO of West Nipissing, says although the overflows have caused issues, there are no drinking water concerns.
Barbeau says in the case of Field, the residents draw their water from wells.
He adds the residents are also nowhere near the river so the flow is actually away from them.
Nonetheless, Barbeau says West Nipissing treats the overflow issue very seriously.
He says the treatment plant the municipality inherited under amalgamation during the 1990s reached the point it was no longer feasible and in 2016, it invested $2 million into the plant with help from senior government.
Barbeau says the engineers who designed the plant will be back to inspect it and propose changes since it’s not performing in the way that was intended.
In the case of Verner, Barbeau said a lagoon system experiences excess flow during springtime and it’s occurring sooner than anticipated.
Barbeau says the municipality is working at addressing either the size of the plant or another method of treating sewage wastewater in Verner.
Barbeau said the municipality does look at these problems and tries to rectify them to the best of its ability.
He adds the systems are “extremely costly” and West Nipissing always looks for help from the provincial and federal governments to help modernize its facilities.
He adds what’s usually behind the overflows are storm events.
Eight of the communities the commissioner identified in the report were in Northeastern Ontario.
