City council has approved over $3 million in additional funds to build the new Bayview sewage pumping station that will replace the current aging facility.
Originally constructed in 1947, city staff pivoted away from plans to rehabilitate the current facility after learning it did not comply with National Fire Protection Association standards nor the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, opting instead to construct a new facility.
While $3.5 million was initially earmarked to rehabilitate the current station, an additional $2 million was approved in 2023 to construct a new one, and council approved a further $3.08 million at its meeting last week– for a total of $8.58 million – to award the construction project to the lowest bidder.
During the meeting, city staff explained the current station also faces challenges during storms and other “high flow” events, with aging equipment, an undersized wet well, and a manually operated equalization tank.
Unforeseen issues with the Oxford Street road allowance, and a need to relocate the station further back on the property, contributed to delays and significant increases to the project’s cost, staff said.
During discussion, Coun. Ralph Cipolla asked whether it would be “worth requesting another quote,” but staff anticipated costs on a new quote would likely be similar as the tender for the project closed in recent weeks.
The new station will have improved capacity to deal with “high flow” events like storms or snow melt, said a city staff report, “which are expected to increase in intensity in the future as a result of climate change.”
The station will also reduce the risk of sewage backups, and increase overall pumping capacity, which “will support growth and intensification” in the city.
