There are quite a few interesting aspects to the 2021 Waste and Wastewater budget for North Grenville. Not only is the wastewater treatment plant (the Water Pollution Control Plant, to give it its proper name) being expanded to cope with increased demand as Kemptville continues to grow, but the County Road 43 expansion project also has implications for the operating budget.
The total cost of operating the WPCP in 2020 was $4.7 million, and that has grown for 2021 to $5.53 million, almost all (99%) of which is covered by user fees. It should be noted that residents living outside Kemptville do not pay for this service. The average annual household water utility bill for 2021, “including both water and sewer, was $1,141.44, an average annual decrease of $80.28, or 6.6% over 2020. Of this, 30.25% is for the treatment and distribution of water and 69.75% is for the collection and treatment of sewer by the Municipality of North Grenville.”
The main expense under the Water and Wastewater operating budget for 2021 will be the expansion of the treatment plant, at a cost of $2.6 million. This is a project that has been on the municipality’s radar since an Environmental Study report in 2010 and the 2015 North Grenville Potable Water and Wastewater Master Plan Update. The budget presentation gave background on the issue.
“The MNG Environmental Study Report outlined a 2-stage development process for expansion of the WPCP. The first phase would occur from 2020 to 2023. Phase 1 was to provide equalization storage and attenuate peak flows with a cost of approximately $20.7 million. The second stage will take place between 2025 and 2028 and provide increased treatment capacity for the 20-year outlook of the study. The cost for the second phase is estimated to be approximately $9.5 million.”
Population increase, and expanded residential development, has led to strains on the capacity of the water treatment plant, and the design for the expansion work has been awarded to JL Richards & Associates for approximately $1.0 million between 2020 and 2021. It is anticipated to have a detailed design and tender completed in the Fall of this year.
Capital costs also now include $457,868 as part of the County Road 43 expansion project. Of this, $338,455 will be spent on the new bridge crossing, and $119,413 on piping along CR 43. It is planned that 64% of these costs will be covered by Development Charges.