Regulating sewer use in South Dundas

 

A sewer use bylaw for South Dundas is in the works.

“This could be a very significant document,” said Todd Grant of AECOM who is working on drafting the document that aims to protect the sewer collection system from extraneous inflow by providing legal grounds for the elimination of improper connections.

An example of an improper connection would be a sump pump connection into the sanitary sewer system. 

These types of connections are believed to exist within the villages of South Dundas, and may be partially to blame for the extreme amounts of water that have overtaxed the waste water treatment plants during large rainfall events in the past.

Many municipalities already have sewer use bylaws in place. 

Grant explained to South Dundas council at the October 15 meeting that this document members of council are presently reviewing is not re-inventing the wheel. 

The current draft of the bylaw is similar to that of six municipalities much like South Dundas. 

Protecting the sewer collection system from corrosion, damage and obstruction, and protecting the wastewater treatment process from upset are the primary objectives of the bylaw. 

According to Grant, having this bylaw in place has the potential to improve the operational efficiency of the wastewater treatment plants by improving the influent quality and reducing influent inflows.

The draft document has been circulated to council for comment. 

It too will undergo a legal review before being presented to the public for input. After the public consultation process the document will require council acceptance before it becomes law. 

While the implementation of this bylaw has no financial implications for the municipality, this bylaw could be costly for some homeowners, where illegal connections do exist. They would be on the hook for costs associated with eliminating those illegal connections.

 

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