The federal government has approved a $28.8-million construction contract for a wastewater treatment plant in Port Granby, Ontario, as part of the Port Granby Project. Port Granby is a rural community, sitting on Lake Ontario, within Clarington Municipality. The treatment plant is to be located at the site of a planned long-term, low-level radioactive waste management facility.
The plant, according to Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver, will benefit the regional economy and create a significant number of direct and indirect jobs. Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, echoed Oliver’s statement: “This contract will create local jobs and advance this important remediation project,” she said in a release.
Of course, the environmental impact of the plant is just as much a topic for discussion as the potential economic benefits. The new plant will treat surface and groundwater throughout the construction of the waste management facility, as well as contaminated water from the facility once its construction is completed.
Maple Reinders Engineering and Construction Ltd. was awarded the contract for the project. Construction is due to begin in early spring, and should take approximately two years.
