South Bruce Peninsular - Water infrastructure improvements - Comments

Trojan UV questioned

garym — Wed, 03 May 2006 22:11:25 -0400

No idea who they are or even where but an anonymous critique of the Water Treatment Plant Report wants to send up some flares on the town's choice of vendor for the UV gear ...

Anonymous writes: "as time goes by, that Trojan UV system will cost you more and more to operate. Not to mention that Trojan will raise the price of their replacement parts to a point where you will want to remove the system and go with something else. Trojan is notorious for getting systems installed, and because they are the only source of replacement parts, they raise the price and there is nothing you can do about it."
[ via South Bruce Peninsula Crier: Wiarton Water Treatment Plant Annual Report 2005 ]

Sounds like somebody wasn't too happy. Might be worth at least pecking about to see if there are any other unbiased (no vested interest) 'consumer reports' on this gear ...

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

First entry is just fine :)

garym — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 23:50:43 -0400

And this is right-on what we need, some ground-zero first-hand experience. Rumour has it Sauble is up for a 'Blue Flag' rating and I'm sure the infrastructure improvements are apropos for that, but I wonder what the black-water taps might add to the mix.

Still, I am curious here: Doesn't the public washroom use municipal water? Most everone else in the downtown core seems to be, but not the restrooms?

Just wondering. I don't know one way or the other so it's just a question, but maybe one that needs answering.

There's no doubt we have septic hotspots, every rural community in North America older than 50 years likely has at least a few. And it would be very unfortunate if a high-profile location like a prime tourism service site should be one of them, but I'm still of the mind that the reasonable response is not to go begging for astronomical miracles from Ottawa (or Corporate Angels) but to do the very most unthinkably blasphemous thing and fix the hot spots.

Because it is not expensive, because it would be an excellent opportunity to showcase Ontario home-grown decentralized water-treatment systems, because it is the right thing to do.

Because the Fix is out there. My famous bundle of alternative water technology brochures is now nearly 10 years since it was tabled by Amabel Council. Considering the total sewage recycling of something like a public restroom amounts to a (compared to $80M) paultry sum of maybe $5K -- my cost data may be old, but ballpark that's about it and there's many more technology options now -- and because, almost by definition the really most ill-kept hotspots of the lot are those with the least financial resources for self-investment, then considering these basic realities, why don't we invest in our own future? And I don't mean running more municipal pipes: Why not collectively buy shares in Sauble Beach, become stakeholders in our community reclamation and establish a public trust fund to provide low or zero-cost septic improvement loans to property owners deemed as hotspots?

Granted, I've had some pretty outside ideas in my time, but for the life of me, this doesn't seem like one of them. Even in the shadow of the Pipeline Spook, it's easy to do, easy to implement, loads the bow with just the single arrow and hits the problem square on.

And we could start first thing Monday morning.

Here's my prediction: No matter what consultants we hire, best laid plans of hotels and convention centres notwithstanding, $80+Million is not going to materialize any time soon, and as the hotspot taps get blacker and blacker, either someone will get hurt and force some reasonable action through a lawsuit, or someone will get a brilliant pro-active idea to toss the spectre of the impending sewer tax to the wind and risk the few grand to show just what can be done with modern waste-water management, and either way the neighbours will see just how easy and painless it was and how effective and eco-friendly it is and they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends and things will start to change one barrel at a time.

And then we'll look back, and we'll be proud of what we did.

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

water

wayne tanner — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 22:53:50 -0400

although I promised you and May a afternoon of respite care, ( the boys were fine today and insurance will cover any other costs incurred ) I had to leave on a fire call allowing Susan to endure . One thing I heard as I was doing traffic control were comments directed towards the water in the washrooms along the beach. Apparently the water coming out of the taps was quit black and people were actually paying the store owners ( who post customer only signs) to allow themselves and there children to use "sanitary" washrooms. Now as I have some experience with water treatment and in the Sauble area my thoughts were " Me thinks the ol sand points along the beach finally returneth back what we deliverth to it" It is bad down there and when myself an others were thinking of were going togethor to look at "investment" properties as we are the up and coming tycoons of development :) I saw the classic 45 gallon barrel under the sheet of plywood in at least 3 of the cottages we look at and others were not much better. SOMETHING has to be done, right wrong or indifferent to the politics of it all. BTW Aunty Marlene was 3 weeks in the walkerton hospital, so right wrong or indifferent , black water coming out of the public washroom taps nnnoooott good. First entry Gary, hope I did ok See ya on the 15th

Water infrastructure improvements

garym — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:03:12 -0400

Some new currents in the municipal water works in and around Sauble Beach as announced by Industry Canada last month. Improvements will reach about 1500 households with $8.5M in upgrades to bring the municipal system up to spec with the Ontario Drinking Water Systems Regulation, with the costs split more or less equally between the Feds, the Province and the Municipality, funding approval pending environmental assessment.

The Town will upgrade three water works and combine nine systems into two, resulting in five upgraded water systems. Improvements to the Oliphant and Amabel-Sauble systems will include a new well, upgrades to existing wells, a new treatment building and ultraviolet disinfection equipment. The Foreman and Huron Woods systems will both be equipped with alarmed on-line analyzers, standby sodium hypochlorite tanks, chemically assisted filtration and ultraviolet disinfection equipment. The fifth water system, the Wiarton Water Treatment Plant, will be upgraded with ultraviolet disinfection equipment and waste piping filtration.
[ via Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program - Investment in water infrastructure benefits South Bruce Peninsula ]