HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-08-116 - South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer - Class Environmental Assessment (EA) StudyREPORT
Report To: DTS Committee, Chair - Christina Weylie
Date of Meeting: August 11, 2008
Submitted By: K. Grant Murphy, P.Eng., Director of Engineering Services
Prepared By: Binu J. Korah, P.Eng., Manager of Development Engineering
Wards} Involved: Ward 4
Date of Report: July 29, 2008
Report No.: DTS-08-116
Subject: South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer -Class
Environmental Assessment (EA} Study
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer Environmental Study Report (ESR}
prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd., dated July 2008 be received; and
That the South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer Environmental Study Report be filed with
the Ministry of Environment for the mandatory thirty X30} day review period as required
by the Environmental Assessment Act.
REPORT:
In 2006, the City of Kitchener received and approved a request from developer interests in
southwest Kitchener to undertake the necessary studies to determine a sanitary servicing
solution for future development lands within the Huron Community Planning Area. The City of
Kitchener is the proponent for this Schedule "B" Class Environmental Assessment (EA) project.
The lands that are the focus of this Class EA are within the South Branch of the Strasburg
Creek Subwatershed, located in the southwest part of the City of Kitchener, west of Strasburg
Road.
The purpose of the Class EA is to determine the appropriate alignment/location of sanitary
servicing necessary to service future development lands within the south branch of Strasburg
Creek and to identify the mitigation measures necessary to reduce the impacts to the
environment due to the proposed construction.
During the Class EA process the following sanitary servicing options were considered. An
analysis of each option was undertaken using technical, natural environmental, social and
economic considerations;
Alternative 1 - Do Nothing
It is important in the environmental review process that all planning alternatives are adequately
considered. Before developing and analyzing various servicing alternatives, the "Do Nothing"
alternative was evaluated.
The Official Plans of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener include
provisions for development within and adjacent to the general study boundary area. The
provision of a sanitary sewage system is apre-requisite for development. It is therefore
suggested that the "do nothing" alternative is not viable.
Alternative 2 -Public communal and individual septic systems
As noted in Section 2.2.2 of the Environmental Study Report (ESR}, the policies of the Ministry
of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, City of Kitchener and
Ministry of the Environment indicate that communal and septic systems shall not be allowed
except where it is "impracticable" ornot feasible to achieve sanitary servicing to a municipal
system. As this future development area is included in the drainage basin for the Schneider
Trunk Sanitary Sewer, it is concluded that use of communal sewage treatment systems,
including septic beds, and/or individual lot-level septic systems is not acceptable on the basis of
policy.
Alternative 3 -Sewage pumping station and forcemain
A centrally located waste water pumping station (WWPS) would provide a potential design
solution. It is anticipated that this alternative would be located within the low lying valley lands,
and would discharge effluent via a forcemain extending to the current terminus point of the trunk
sewer. The design of this facility would require sufficient capacity to convey flows from future
upstream development lands.
Alternative 4 -Gravity sewer
Three alternative locations for the alignment of a gravity sewer were developed and are
illustrated on Figure 4.0 of the ESR. A description of the alternatives is as follows:
• Alternative A
Replacement/Retrofit of existing 675mm diameter gravity sewer adjacent to the wetland
complex, and installation of a new 675mm diameter gravity sewer extending westerly to the
existing Plains Road right-of-way
• Alternative R
Installation of a 900mm diameter gravity sewer extending south along future Strasburg Road
right-of-way, then westerly within the valley lands of the South Branch of Strasburg Creek,
extending to Fischer-Hallman Road on the north side of the central deciduous
woodland/wetland feature
• Alternative C
Installation of a 900mm diameter gravity sewer extending along the alignment of the future
Strasburg Road right-of-way, then westerly within the valley lands of the South Branch of
Strasburg Creek, on the south side of the central deciduous woodland/wetland feature,
extending through future development lands to a natural topographic draw approximately
250 metres east of Fischer Hallman Road
Alternative C (Gravity Sewer) was selected as the preferred alternative (see attached map).
The preliminary design includes the extension of a 900 mm diameter trunk sanitary sewer from
the existing trunk sewer main (located at the end of Strasburg Road), extending westerly
towards Fischer Hallman Road. A preliminary cost of $2,359,600 has been estimated for the
complete undertaking. Potential environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures are
outlined in the report and shall be considered during the detailed design stage.
Staff recommend that the South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer Environmental Study Report
be filed with Ministry of Environment to address the sanitary servicing needs within this
community planning area.
COMMUNICATIONS:
A project team was created to complete this project. The project team includes staff from City of
Kitchener and the Grand River Conservation Authority ~GRCA). The project
notifications/correspondence were provided to the Ministry of Natural Resources ~MNR},
Ministry of the Environment (MOE}, the Region of Waterloo and other agencies, and affected
and interested parties. As part of this project, two public information centers were conducted;
one in November, 2007 and another in March, 2008. A presentation was also made to the City
of Kitchener's Environmental Committee.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
This project is identified in the City of Kitchener's 2004 Development Charge Background Study
(Project S-05) as a developer front-end financed project, for construction in 2010. It is
anticipated that this municipal infrastructure would be constructed concurrent with subdivision
development initiatives within this community planning area.
CONCLUSION:
The completion of this Class Environmental Assessment study has established the preferred
sanitary servicing solution for lands within the Huron Community Planning Area.
The preferred solution consists of extending a 900 mm diameter trunk sanitary sewer (gravity-
draining) from the existing downstream trunk sewer located on Strasburg Road to a point
approximately 250 metres east of Fischer Hallman Road (see attached map).
Staff recommend that Council allow the South Strasburg Trunk Sanitary Sewer Environmental
Study Report (ESR) to be filed with the Ministry of Environment for the mandatory thirty (30) day
review period as required by the Environmental Assessment Act.
Binu J. Korah, P. Eng.,
Manager, Development Engineering
K. Grant Murphy, P. Eng.,
Director, Engineering Services
Attachments
Appendix A -Executive Summary -South Strasburg Gravity Trunk Sewer