Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc. - Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage)

An amended Environmental Compliance Approval (Number 2893-C7WGCR) was issued to Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc. on October 29, 2021 for sewage works for the treatment and subsurface disposal of domestic sewage, to service the existing Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community located at 33809 Airport Road, in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, County of Huron.

It was the opinion of the director that posting the proposed instrument for public comments would have resulted in danger to the health or safety of any person living at the existing Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community, harm or serious risk of harm to the environment, and injury or damage or serious risk of injury or damage to the property, as outlined below:

• The existing sewage works servicing the Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community were experiencing functional problems including difficulty meeting effluent discharge criteria and breakout of effluent at the ground surface over the leaching bed
• The breakout of effluent at the ground surface is likely to cause environmental impairment, potential impacts to local water resources, and could be a public health risk to residents and visitors of the Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community
• The construction of the proposed upgraded system had to be completed prior to the winter season, as the existing system was not in a functional state and could not be relied upon to provide servicing over the winter period
• COVID-19 related travel restrictions were also anticipated to increase the number of residents staying in the community exerting further pressure on the failing system
• Hauling of large quantities of sewage from a failed system over the winter months also had the potential to create resource challenges such as availablity of trucks and disposal facilities in the local area
• Posting on ERO for the 45-day commenting period, would have resulted in the proposed upgraded system not being constructed before onset of winter and the continued risk of environmental and public health risks as discussed above. The proposal met the requirements of the emergency exception.

Decision details of issued Environmental Compliance Approval

An amended Environmental Compliance Approval was issued to Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc. for sewage works for the treatment and subsurface disposal of domestic sewage, rated at a maximum design capacity of 180,000 Litres per day, to service the existing Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community located at 33809 Airport Road, in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, County of Huron.

The existing Meneset on the Lake year-round residential community consists of 262 modular homes (Park Model Units). The approved sewage works consist of:

• two existing one-compartment precast concrete flow balancing tanks
• one existing 2.4 m diameter precast concrete wet well
• three proposed one-compartment precast concrete septic tanks
• one existing sludge storage tank
• one proposed one-compartment precast concrete dosing tank
• one proposed in-ground absorption trench leaching bed