ELMIRA STP and I & I PROBLEMS

Back on May 29/10 and Aug. 13/10 here in the Advocate I wrote about huge issues with our Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). These included ELEVEN sewage bypass incidents between 2002 and 2008. The good news is that this summer the construction of a new Equalization Tank at the local plant will probably solve the problem. What both I and the Woolwich Engineering Department have found surprising is that these bypasses of raw sewage were not related to the volume problems of Infiltration and Inflow (I & I) as had originally been thought.

The on-line Agenda and Minutes of this past week's Committee of the Whole public meeting provide us with two Woolwich Engineering Reports dealing with I & I. The biggest problem is not roof drains (eavetroughs) hooked up to the sanitary sewers, it's foundation drains. To say that hooking up either one to the sanitary sewer system is ridiculous goes beyond understatement. That it was done in the first place whether surrepticiously or otherwise is scandalous. There was a time when residential building could not occur on floodplains, low lying areas or areas with normally high watertables (ie. within a few feet of ground surface). Obviously parts of the Birdland subdivision should never have been built. The "solution" (Roof & foundation drains) have inflicted a multimillion dollar problem upon the rest of the citizens of Woolwich.

I have as of yet not figured out why if these drains were needed they couldn't have been connected to the storm sewer system. This system sends primarily clean rain water into our local creeks such as Landfill, Larch's or the Canagagigue. Every gallon of clean water inappropriately diverted into the sanitary sewer system requires expensive treatment and takes up sewage capacity. The good news is that our Council and Engineering Department are trying to resolve this problem. Is there any way that those who initially profited from developing poor land into residential properties, and then passed on the drainage costs to the public can be made to contribute to the costs of remediating their behaviour and decisions?