Springfield mayor frustrated with wait for water treatment plant environmental license

It looks like the RM of Springfield will have to wait a little while longer to get its environmental license approved for its proposed water treatment plant.

RM of Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien is frustrated that the province’s environmental board is still withholding the approval of the licence, almost two-and-a-half-years after the licence was applied for.

“I don’t understand why it’s taken so long. It’s not a nuclear waste site, it’s a water treatment plant,” he said.

Therrien said the land has already been selected and the $29 million to build the structure is in the bank.

“It’s only going to (cost) taxpayers $8.8 million, but with that delay, it costs more and more, so that final cost, I hope it’s not going to be prohibitive for our water treatment plant and it’s not an issue for us here in the RM. It’s a delay upon unreasonable delay for a water treatment plant licence. It’s beyond me.”

The mayor’s biggest fear is that the delay will take so long that it might not become a priority for the next council. Therrien is not running for re-election.

“My biggest fear is the next election is going to be something where it’s not going to be a project that’s going to be prioritized, and it has to be prioritized….I’ve been fighting for water treatment plant accessibility for 20-some odd years.”

The plant will be located between Dugald and Oakbank and Therrien hopes to get word from the province in a couple of weeks as to why there is a delay. He guessed it might be because the province might want to do Clean Environment Commission hearing.

“I can understand for SIO Silica, of course, that requires the expertise there to be there. They did a fantastic job, the province, and doing a CEC hearing for SIO Silica. But that’s a major infrastructure mining issue. This is a water treatment plant. And I say that, I can’t stress it enough…that it’s a water treatment plant. It’s not a mining operation. It’s not a nuclear waste site. It is strictly a water treatment plant.”

Therrien said the plant will not only allow for the construction of the recreation centre, and allow for growth in the communities, but it will provide safety for residents with the installation of fire hydrants and water accessibility and fire safety for seniors’ residences, such as personal care homes.

“So, it’s a community thing. Our schools are going to be able to have the water, and I know some people – we’re past the point where the discussions on, ‘We don’t want it because we’re not going to have any use for it,’ but it’s a community facility that’s going to help the community. We’ve had many, many discussions about that – three years.

“So, we’re beyond that. Now, we’re just on trying to get our water treatment plant environmental licence there, and hopefully, I’m praying to God we don’t have to do a CEC hearing, in which case that’ll probably not be – how do I want to discuss it? It’s not warranted in my opinion there, but I’m not a scientist.”

Once the water treatment plant is approved, Therrien said the next project is upgrading the water treatment plant in Anola, although he couldn’t say how much that might cost.

“I project that’s going to be the next large center getting all our attention there. Land is cheaper. It’s a great location at Highway 12 and 15 going through to the cottage country and all that. So, we’ve got a nice subdivision going up there behind the school, and there’s going to be a new daycare there as well that’s planned to go in sometime in the near future.”

Should the water treatment plant get approval, Therrien estimates it will take about 30 months to construct.