Tay Valley Township Council…

Tay Valley Township Council submits the following comments on the proposed continuation of the septic lagoon at 592 Harper Road.

The property is zoned Agriculture (A) with a small Commercial (C) zone in the northeast corner so the current lagoon and spreading area is legally non-complying. It was approved in 1997 by the Ministry of Environment before the first Tay Valley Zoning By-law. Since the use is not currently permitted in the Zoning By-law, any expansion of the operation would require either a minor variance as per Section 3.12 of the Zoning By-law or rezoning to Disposal Industrial Zone (MD).

Questions the Township would like to be addressed by the Ministry are listed below.

1. Is the Ministry aware that this location overlies a Highly Vulnerable Aquifer as identified in the Mississippi Rideau Source Water Protection Plan?

2. What steps will be taken to ensure the groundwater quality in this area is protected?

3. The Township would like to see monitoring of the impact of the site on groundwater. Will there be monitoring wells around the lagoon to ensure groundwater is not being affected (similar to the Containment Attenuation Zone for the Township waste sites)? How frequently will testing be undertaken? For what parameters?

4. The Township has received questions about the potential for odour and additional truck travel. How will odour be mitigated? What volume of daily truck traffic is anticipated?

5. What mitigation methods are proposed to address rodent issues?

6. Will there be monitoring of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS’s) in the groundwater?

7. Is the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks looking at alternatives to spreading? Could septage be shipped away or added to a communal services system?