Sump pumps suspected factor in high sewer flows
A robot has been searching the sewers under Creemore’s roads, hunting for discharge from sump pumps.
Brian Edwards has been called in to inspect the sewer after higher-than-normal flows overwhelmed the Creemore sewage plant during the spring melt. Edwards’ robot roams the underground pipes and sends images from its camera to a monitor in a trailer above ground. He watches for discharge from homes that runs clear and in bursts. That’s how they know it could be water from a sump pump, not water from household plumbing fixtures, for which the system is designed.
“We can’t say 100 per cent it’s sump pumps but we believe the majority of the problem is due to sump pumps,” said Clearview Township general manager of environmental services Mike Rawn.
He said water and sewer department staff has inspected all the manholes in the system to make sure they are not leaking and are functioning properly. Workers have gone door-to-door looking for possible sump pump connections and are leaving notices for people who are not home.
It is illegal in Clearview to have a sump pump connected to the sewer system but it is possible that homeowners are not aware they are in contravention of the bylaw.
Rawn said in one case, they found a connection and informed the homeowner who didn’t know it was an issue and he changed it right away.
Household toilets, sinks, showers, dishwashers and washing machines discharge less than one cubic metre per day in total.
Normal sewer flow for the whole village is under 500 cubic metres per day but on March 27, Creemore sewer flows increased to 901 cubic metres and the average flow has been 700 cubic metres per day ever since.
The Creemore sewage treatment plant has not been able to keep up with the flows and because it has been operating at 100 per cent capacity, the components of the treatment system are strained, further reducing capacity.
Rawn said officials are working to resolve the issues and they expect to regain full capacity.
In the meantime sewage is being transported to the treatment plant in Stayner.
Rawn said other municipalities are also dealing with higher than normal sewer flows this spring but in other areas operators are able to bypass the treatment plant and dump effluent into the river. Due to restrictions associated with the Mad River’s cold water fisheries status, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change will not allow it.
“And because we can haul it somewhere else,” said Rawn. “The ministry doesn’t consider financial issues a burden.”
The township had a similar problem in 2008 and based on that experience, he expects the operation is costing the municipality about $100,000.
“It kind of took us by surprise that it popped up again,” said Rawn. “We went to a lot of work to make sure this wouldn’t happen again and that’s why it’s so surprising that we are dealing with this right now.”
He said there will be more work done this year to educate people about proper sump pump discharge as part of a strategy to avoid the problem in the future.
“We shouldn’t have to increase capacity at the treatment plant to deal with sump pumps but it’s one of those options that will help prevent the costly trucking,” said Rawn.
