Parmalat, SD&G strike wastewater deal; ‘a good problem to have’ says North Dundas mayor

CORNWALL/WINCHESTER – The county has struck a short-term deal with Parmalat Canada to allow pumping of liquid waste to the North Dundas’ lagoons.

The deal with the dairy product producer is for two-and-a-half years and will see an above-ground pipe high-density polyethylene pipe in the ditch along County Road 3 from Liscumb Road to the sewage treatment lagoons.

The pipe will run approximately 700 meters (2,297 feet).

The county needed to be part of the approval because it’s on a county road, while the company will enter into a similar agreement with the Township of North Dundas to connect the pipe to the North Dundas wastewater system.

The company on Gordon Street in Winchester has been facing some “significant wastewater discharge” issues during the summer, council heard. Parmalat already has a waste water treatment plant north of company’s factory.

“Parmalat’s a growing business so it’s a good problem to have,” North Dundas Mayor Eric Duncan told Cornwall Newswatch. “They’ve been working with us for the last little while. As they grow, there’s now 500 million liters of milk that goes through that plant every year.”

Duncan calls its a “natural next step” for the company and this will be short term to see if it works.

“We’re (North Dundas) going through some expansion that we have at our lagoon where it’s going to. But also, we want to make sure it’s working well for the long term so if this works out well and we getting everything lined up, this is something that they can bury (the pipe) and make permanent. It’s a natural thing of a business like that growing,” Duncan told CNW.

“They’ve been great partners. It’s been a win-win so far,” he said.

County Engineer Ben de Haan said the biggest challenge will be the aesthetics. “It’s not going to look pretty for a couple of years while this pipe is sitting in the ditch,” he said.

Some county councillors were reassured by De Haan that Parmalat would be responsible for grass cutting around the pipe in the ditch and also for any spills, should there be a mishap.

A report to council shows the county even stands to benefit from this deal as Parmalat will install new culverts and make drainage improvements to host the pipe.