For Immediate Release: August 5, 2016
The replacement of the existing Waste Water Treatment Plant has remained a top priority for Stratford Town Council and staff. Various options have been considered and narrowed down to two viable choices for Council to consider.
Residents and stakeholders are invited to attend an Open House on Wednesday, August 10 between 7:00pm and 9:00pm to discuss the options and provide resident feedback to members of Council and staff. A brief presentation will be made at 8:00pm and further feedback will be accepted until noon on August 17, 2016.
Once feedback has been received, Stratford Town Council will review all information and make a decision on which option to select. It is hoped that once this decision is made and funding secured, the Town may be able to begin the process this fall to replace the existing system. Completion of the work for either option is expected to take approximately two years.
"We encourage residents to review the letter which has been mailed to all residential utility customers," commented Mayor David Dunphy, "and to provide to Council their feedback on which option they prefer. This is an important decision before Council and resident input is appreciated."
One option under consideration is to install a new liftstation near the site of the existing lagoons to pump Stratford's sewer through a new forcemain (pipe) installed under the Hillsborough Bridge to an upgraded Charlottetown Pollution Control Plant. The cost of the delivery system to Charlottetown is estimated at 8.8 million dollars with upgrades to Charlottetown's plant costing approximately 7.5 million dollars. The Town of Stratford has applied for 25% provincial and 50% federal contributions towards the capital costs under the federal Clean Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Fund. In this option, Stratford would pay a share of the operating and capital financing cost of the Charlottetown plant based on our proportionate flow, plus a surcharge of 25% to cover costs external to the plant. Stratford's share of the operating cost, plus the cost of financing and operating the delivery system, is estimated at 19.6 million dollars over 20 years, accounting for inflation and growth. For this option, Stratford's sewer rate will have to increase from $329 to $544 annually per single family dwelling to be phased in over three years.
A second option being considered is to construct a new Stratford plant which would be located adjacent to the existing lagoons. A new plant would be completely enclosed and have a much smaller footprint than the current system. This option would see the existing lagoons removed. The estimated capital cost of this option is 15.2 million dollars. Stratford has also applied to the federal Clean Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Fund for this option and would again be responsible for its share, 25% of the capital cost. The estimated operating and financing cost of this option is estimated at 16.4 million dollars over 20 years, accounting for inflation and growth. For this option, Stratford's sewer rate will have to increase from $329 to $472 annually per single family dwelling which would again be phased in over three years.
"We have assured residents along the way that they would have an opportunity to be heard during this decision making period and we look forward to hearing from them," added Mayor Dunphy. "Residents can add their voice to this process by calling Town offices at (902) 569-1995, emailing [email protected] or by contacting their local Council member at either the Open House or by email."
A copy of the information letter can be found on the Town's website at www.townofstratford.ca and residents have until noon on August 17, 2016 to provide their comments.
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For more information please contact:
Wendy Watts, Community Engagement Coordinator
Phone: (902) 569-6921
Email: [email protected]
Letter to Residents -WWTP Options (August 1, 2016)