All options costly for moving sewage lagoon
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 2:05 PM AT
CBC News
The Town of Stratford, P.E.I., is looking at four options for the future of its waterfront sewage lagoon, and each would cost the community about $10 million.
While some options have higher capital costs and other higher operating costs, all four come out about the same in the final accounting.
The options are:
- Ship the sewage to Charlottetown.
- Build a small sewage-treatment plant on the current site.
- Build a large plant on the same spot.
- Upgrade the existing lagoon to handle capacity for the next 25 years.
The town has had serious problems with odours from the lagoon. Moving the lagoon is not on the list of options because it would be too expensive.
Stratford has had serious problems with odours from the lagoon. (Pat Martel/CBC) Coun. Sandy MacMillan, chair of the Stratford Utility Corporation, told CBC News on Tuesday that residents have to look beyond the cost, and remember that the lagoon sits on valuable waterfront land that should be bringing major benefits to the town.
"Benefits such as, what is the value of the land where the existing lagoon is?" said MacMillan.
"What is the value of the lost economic opportunity in the area. We have to factor those all in to find out what the true cost of doing this [is] or the cost of not doing it."
MacMillan said the town hopes to make a decision early in the New Year.
