Tomorrow’s open house at the water pollution control plant along the river on McIrvine Road also is doubling as its grand opening, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony set for noon.
The open house gets underway at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.
Bruce Spottiswood, superintendent of Public Works/Facilities, said work on the plant rebuild began in November, 1996 and just finished up this past June.
“The primary side has been entirely rebuilt,” Spottiswood said. “We had new secondary clarifiers put in, a new disinfectant UV system, and a gravity belt thickener.”
Under the old system, the town was allowed to release up to 50 mg/L of dissolved oxygen and solid waste in its effluent averaged over the year.
With the new system, Spottiswood noted the maximum allowance is 25 mg/L averaged out over a month. And so far, the new system hasn’t exceeded 10 mg/L.
“The final effluent going to the river now is so clear you’d swear it was drinking water,” he said.
“And if you’re at the open house, you can sample it,” he laughed.
In fact, rumour has it a glass of the effluent will be presented to Mayor Glenn Witherspoon at the opening ceremony. “I hear there’s some pressure being put to bear the he tries it,” Spottiswood chuckled.
The water pollution control plant had some trouble with the original digesters that were designed for the rebuild early on. But that problem has been corrected, Spottiswood said, and the new plant is odour free for the most part.
“There’s a real neat brochure that will be handed out Thursday that will have a lot of the details on costs, who did the original construction in 1964, [etc.],” Spottiswood said.
Things have been looking good at the plant of late but Spottiswood warned it will take a while to get things fine-tuned.
“With a biological type process, you need a full year with all weather under your belt,” he explained.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
