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---- a \" Sewage study needed now by David Krayden The monitoring equipment at Penetanguishene's Main Street sewage treat- ment plan is not working properly. According to a report by the town's engineering consultant, Dr. Philip H. Jones, the readings are 15 to 20 per cent too high and this could have serious ramifications upon future development in Penetanguishene. Jones warns that if steps are not taken to rectify the inaccuracies, the Ministry of the Environment will say there are "too many developments" in the town because the "sewage system is inadequate to serve the population which already exists." Jones has been measuring the flow of waste which runs through the treatment plant by "the old fashioned method - a ruler," whereby a measuring stick is used to measure the capacity of water flow through the pipes. It was only last summer that Penetanguishene officially opened its second treatment plant en Fox Street. In theory this should have doubled the town's sewage capacity, even when the uneven development is considered. a But as the municipal clerk admits, "It just did not work out that way." Yvon Gange has also recommended immediate action to solve the town's sewage problems. When that new plant was opened, the sewage flow of some 1,400 people was Vol. 20 No. 52, Folio 104 Wednesday, December 30, 1987 40 cents What a year we had! We shall be hard pressed in the new year to meet the high calibre of debate which characterised 1987. It was 12 months of news dominated by education and waste issues, highlighted by the re-election of Simcoe East MPP Al McLean while most of the province sent Liberals to Queen's Park and invigorated by the continued success of Penetanguishene's favorite curlers, the Russ Howard rink. When the Penetangishene Citizen publish- ed its first paper of 1987, the tone of the front page was positive: Main Street was going to "change with the times" as more apartments were planned along with a new taxi stand and expanded dry cleaner facilities. Nick Bourdouris, the owner of the town's Memories Restaurant and the Dock Lunch was a prime mover in the plan. But on that same issue of Jan. 6, there was an omen of some of the cont'oversy, strug- gle and bitter debate which 'ay ahead in the year. It was revealed that the Ministry of the En- vironment was not goi7ig to extend the period of time which North Simcoe could continue dumping at the Pauze landfill site. The waste issue was to appear-constantly in the pages of the newspaper. St. Ann's school, which is still struggling to achieve government funding was in the news on Jan. 13 when there was some talk of moving temporarily to Corpus Christi (now James Keating) Elementary School. Thoughout the year, St.Ann's would be described as a "top priority" by the Ministry of Education. A bizarre tragedy marred the news on Jan.20 when one man drowned in a \snowmobile accident between Penetanguishene and Midland Point. The machine went right through the ice. Penetanguishene Council heard complaints on Jan. 27 over the escalation of taxes. Mayor Ron Bellisle claimed on that night the taxes were so high because of the Simcoe County Board of Education. On Feb. 3, Denis Chartrand, the ex- assistant principal of Le Caron high school became the Superintendent of French Language Education for the Simcoe County Board of Education. Education was still in the news later that month when the French Language Education Council urged that french language educa- tion be phased out at Ecole Secondaire Penetanguishene Secondary School. The sug- gestion caused a large protest from parents who questioned the right of FLEC to make : r. EN ni Of ty Best of the year Russ Howard might have captured the spirit of 1987 and he certainly caught the spirit of Penetanguishene by being the winningest curler around. We can all be proud of Russ and wish him more of the same success in the new year. such decisions. After two months in the hospital, Mayor Bellisle made a triumphant return to coun- cil on March 24. He thanked the many well- wishers who had sent him flowers and cards. There was more controversy over educa- tion costs on March 31 when it was reveal- ed that the annual budget of the Simcoe County Board of Education had risen by seven per cent from $167,628,600 to $157,978,301. That was followed by some happier news on April 7 when Russ Howard appeared on the front page and it was revealed that he had won the Canadian Curling Championship. After three weeks of picketing, the workers at AFC Grew went back to work after 82 per cent of the employees accepted a contract which guaranteed a 40 cent an hour increase in the first year of the contract and a further 40 cent an hour raise in the second year. Senseless violence dominated the Aug. 11 issue as the extent of damage done to St. Ann's Cemetery was revealed. The cost of kicking over 36 headstones came to $2,000. Tiny Township revealed it wouldn't. be straying far from the old Pauze dump in its choice of a new landfill site. The announc- ment represented the beginning of often bit- ter debate between Tiny and the North Sim- coe Waste Management Association. Premier David Peterson visited Midland and Penetanguishene on Sept. 8 and an- nounced that "the winds of change are blow- ing across Simcoe East." Not quite. Midland helped to elect Liberal Ken Black, but in Penetanguishene Progressive Conservative Al McLean was re-elected. The postal dispute hit Penetanguishene on Oct. 8 when the local employees walked out. A story about the renovations at Oak Ridge, maximum security mental institute, appeared on Oct. 20. This day sparked off a number of events at the Mental Health Centre in which the Director of Psychiatry, Dr. Malcolm MacCulloch, urged the Ridge to be torn down and replaced with another building. The summation to perhaps the biggest story of the year appeared on Nov. 4 when it was revealed that the "garbage revolt was squash- ed." The reeves and clerks of the six North Simcoe municipalities had gone to Toronto for a meeting with MOE officials after a meeting of the NSWMA had revealed deep resentment at having been ordered to send garbage to Keele Valley. The garbage issue dominated the front pages for the rest of the year as stories about recycling, environmental assessment and transfer site problems appeared through November and December. redirected to the new treatment centre. The Main Street plant should have then been left with that much less sewage to manage. But Gagne explains that a "review of average dai- ly flow ... does not reflect these changes, leading us to believe that the new measuring equipment installed in the Main Street plant at the same time as the new plant construc- tion, is defective and does not accurately reflect the reduction of users." So Jones has recommended accurate sewage monitoring equipment be rented to produce conclusive evidence that the figures are wrong. He also wants the town to complete a _ "comprehensive sewer study which MoE will treat as a policy document." Another problem exists with the Edwards Street storm sewer where there is a consis- tent overflow of water. Jones says the storm water should be rerouted and adds that "con- ventional procedures are expensive" but en- dorsed the abilities of Gagne saying the town clerk "is rather famous for reaching into everyone else's pocket." Jones suggested that one source of govern- ment funding could be found in the "'in- frastructure rehabilitation program," a pro- vincial plan to rejuvenate aging industries and facilities. Councillor Lionel Dion wondered what would happen if the sewage readings "'tell the same story" with new equipment. Jones did not consider that valid concern. "We are not overloaded," he said. The engineer stated the bottom line for the council: "It's a case of starting all over again and demonstrating that we have the capaci- ty." Gagne says the town must follow a six-stage plan. It should rent the necessary flow measur- ing equipment and monitor the flow at a number of points on the sewage system. It should meet with the suppliers and in- stallers of the plant flow measuring in- struments (the company is Fischer & Porter) and investigate the accuracy of the current equipment. Attempts should be made to secure finan- cial support from MoE to initiate a sewer- needs study (which costs about $20,000). Council begin a feasibility study to see how much redirection of sewage from the Main Street plant to the Fox Street plant will cost. Funds should be 'designated for the previous project. Gagne and Jones would collaborate on "a development control strategy, reviewing all future development in conjunction with the town's capital program." Council likes proposal The Penetanguishene town council has endorsed a resolution from the Township of Peel which urges the provincial govern- ment to 'enact legislation to limit, curtail, and in some instances prohibit the manufacture, use and distribution of non- biodegradable and non-recyclable materials." Councillor Lionel Dion said the North Simcoe Waste Management Association has "suggested the same sort of thing in the past." Dion told members of the council that he had been "elated" to discover the ex- istence of a "new kind of styrofoam while watching television one night." According to Dion the material breaks down when exposed to sunlight. Philip Jones, the town's engineering consultant, said he knows all about the product since "I conducted studies on it 10 years ago." Jones implied that the styrofoam isn't really the answer for landfill sites since it won't degenerate without the direct ap- plication of sunlight wherein the "ultraviolet rays break down the stuff." Inside: Oak Ridge history