WC144 SeptOct 2025 - Magazine - Page 23
marine vegetation, fish and things like that. And the Nova Scotia
Department of Natural Resources has environmental regulatory
jurisdiction over the beach and the dunes, so we needed permits in
place for that, too.” Preparations included compiling an extensive
species inventory and detailing proposed mitigation methods.
When work was completed, crews had to carefully restore the sand
dunes where digging occurred on-shore.
The project team also had to complete an archaeological resources impact assessment through the Nova Scotia Department
of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. “We had an
archaeologist on site during the outfall work monitoring the excavation,” MacDonnell says. “They did test digs down to the depth
expected for the trenching but didn’t identify anything there.”
Had any Mi’kmaq artefacts or anything else of significance been
found, the project team would have been required to wait for
guidance before undertaking any further activities.
While the outfall required deft timing and careful planning,
challenges for the wastewater plant, buildings and equipment
have proven relatively routine thus far. Particularly notable,
MacDonnell says, has been working within the tight property
confines, and keeping old system components operational while
bringing new ones on board. The new plant’s continuous flow
SBR technology will not be entirely new to the region—Cape
Breton Regional Municipality recently installed a comparable
system. Still, MacDonnell says, new features and innovations
presented a learning curve for her and the team. “We’re more
familiar with the batch process, or your traditional SBR-type
plant. So continuous flow is definitely a bit of a newer technology
to the municipality.” MacDonnell says CBCL recommended the
continuous flow SBR because they are relatively simple operationally and can better accommodate flows during rainy weather
with reduced risk of regulatory non-compliance. As well, the
SBR technology stands to reduce the overall treatment footprint
and operational costs, and enhance the ability to accommodate a
larger range of flows without requiring equalization storage.
works, which owns and maintains the road and the stormwater
infrastructure,” MacDonnell says, noting plans include streetscaping and active transportation routes.
With the enormous volume of work going on, the project
team is laser focused on ensuring service continuity and minimizing unavoidable interruptions. “You’re working around existing
water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, and needing it
designed in such a way that we can install the new stuff, keep the
existing stuff more or less operational, and then do transitions
throughout,” MacDonnell says.
Ultimately, it’s expected residents and visitors will soon smell
nothing more than a relatively pristine St. Lawrence. Still,
Melanie Beaton is quick to remind that the new system, while
expected to be robust, won’t be immune to overloading caused by
operational glitches or other factors outside the county’s control.
“Other things reduce the risk of it happening again, including
a new sewer discharge bylaw we’ve been working on,” Melanie
Beaton, the deputy CAO, says. “This particular plant is located
right in the community, above the golf course and the beach, so
odour was a consideration throughout design, as were noise and
other factors. But we’re also implementing other measures to help
mitigate that from happening again.”
Increased capacity
While the treatment plant and outfall are significant on their
own, they aren’t the only wastewater project underway locally. With additional funding outside the main project’s realm,
the county is also project planning a new lift station to handle
wastewater from south of James Street and Highway 19, largely
to increase capacity, functionality and efficiency in that neighbourhood. Crews are also slated to replace water and wastewater
pipes along Central Avenue, the community’s main thoroughfare. “Central Avenue is the main road that travels through the
community and where the majority of businesses are located,”
MacDonnell says, noting the inclusion of water pipes due to
ongoing leakage. These will be funded and contracted separately,
and should soon go to tender, with work anticipated to last three
years. “We’re partnering with the province’s department of public
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
WATER C AN ADA • SEP TEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
23
