The Village of Cumberland is planning to appeal an $85,000 fine from the province for problems with its sewage-treatment system — the first fine of its kind for a municipality under the Environmental Management Act.
The initial fine was for $185,000, but was pared down after the village noted that it had spent millions of dollars from grant programs to try to deal with the problems.
Sewage from the village is mechanically broken down and then further processed in a pair of sewage ponds before entering Maple Lake Creek. From there, the wastewater flows to the Trent River and then to Baynes Sound.
Problems cited by the Ministry of Environment include exceeding maximum flows and not meeting water-quality standards. Too much phosphorous in the outflow is one of the concerns.
“We struggle from time to time to meet those [standards],” said Cumberland director of operations Rob Crisfield, adding that the village is required to test the wastewater from the system on a regular basis.
He said one goal is to kill any bacteria through a disinfection procedure before the system’s end point at Maple Lake Creek.
Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird said the village is seeking legal advice. Any appeal would be made to the Environmental Appeal Board.
The Ministry of Environment said in a statement that it is working with Cumberland to ensure there is a plan to meet standards for municipal wastewater treatment.
Crisfield said concerns with the village’s system go back about 20 years.
The village completed the first and second stages of liquid-waste management plans a number of times, changing course because it wasn’t affordable or because it didn’t get Ministry of Environment approval, he said.
He said he doesn’t know what has changed or why Cumberland is the first to face such a fine.
“My understanding has always been that as long as you were demonstrating that you were progressing and working through [a liquid-waste management plan], you’re exempt from fines or any kind of action,” Crisfield said. “Obviously the provincial government is clamping down, not just on the village but on a number of communities, I suspect.
“We want to make sure we do the right thing and don’t want to set a precedent for all the other municipalities that are possibly going to be fined.”
Baird said the village would like to have treatment upgrades to deal with the issues that have been identified. “We put an application in for a grant and we’re waiting on word as to whether we will receive that grant,” she said, noting money would come from both the federal and provincial governments.
The project cost is estimated at $9.7 million, Crisfield said.
Baird said it could take about three years for the upgrades to be up and running once the grant is in place. “So are we going to receive this [fine] every year until then? That’s a big concern that we have.”
