Peel Region allocates $130 million to expand wastewater capacity
Peel Region is moving forward with plans to expand wastewater capacity at its G.E. Booth Water Resource Recovery Facility.
The region announced earlier in the week that its council had approved funding of $130 million to go toward the project. It’s expected that by expanding the plant’s capacity by 40 million litres per day, the region will be able to support the additional construction of as many as 47,000 housing units.
“Council’s approval of this significant capital investment demonstrates Peel Region’s commitment to supporting the province’s key housing priorities,” said regional chair Nando Iannicca.
Working with contractors ROMAG Contracting Ltd. and CIMA Canada Inc., the regions has built a timeline for the project that sees the additional capacity built into the plant by 2028 – instead of the original planned date of 2039.
Staff are also working on the new capital works master plan, scheduled for completion in 2025, which includes an assessment of the infrastructure required to meet growth projections described in the province’s Bill 23. As part of this work, staff are identifying projects that can be advanced earlier. The investment to increase capacity at the G.E. Booth plant is one of those initiatives.
“Peel Region owns and operates the second largest water and wastewater systems in Ontario and fourth largest in Canada,” said Gary Kent, Chief Administrative Officer at the region. “This investment in our largest water resource recovery facility is dependent on future flow of development charges and ensures we are using utility dollars in the most sensible way to support effective long-term growth in Peel.”
The G.E. Booth (Lakeview) Water Resource Recovery Facility is the Region of Peel’s largest wastewater treatment plant. It went into service in 1955 and has undergone multiple expansions since. Its capacity is currently 518 million litres per day.
The plant serves the eastern portion of the Region of Peel and part of York Region, and is designed to treat municipal wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial customers.