What is municipal wastewater?
Municipal wastewater, often referred to as sewage, is water that has been used for household use such as washing, flushing, or manufacturing processes by homes, business and industry. It is approximately 99% water.
Wastewater treatment systems operate according to provincial and federal regulatory requirements including the requirements of the facility’s Environmental Compliance Approval.
Wastewater treatment plant bypass or overflow events do not have an impact on the quality of the City’s drinking water. The Timmins Water Filtration Plant is located upstream of the wastewater facilities. Drinking water systems are designed based on their source water and treated accordingly. Ontario has a multi-barrier approach to ensuring safe, clean drinking water with rigorous treatment and testing.
In some cases, bypass and/or overflow events cannot be avoided. In order to protect the wastewater treatment plant’s ability to continue treating wastewater during extreme rainstorm or snowmelt, some of the excess flow (rainwater/snowmelt and sewage) that reaches the plant may need to be diverted around one of the plant’s treatment processes. When a bypass or overflow event occurs, it:
- Prevents rainwater and sewage from backing up and potentially causing basement and/or surface flooding;
- Protects the biological plant process (secondary treatment) from damage as too much flow can “wash out” the microscopic organisms that are needed for secondary treatment. If a “wash out” occurs, it can affect the wastewater treatment plant’s ability to properly treat wastewater until the biological balance is restored;
- Prevents the wastewater treatment plant from flooding, which can cause significant damage to mechanical and electrical equipment.