South Niagara Falls Wastewater Solutions
All Niagara Region projects

About the Project

Niagara Region is investing in tomorrow to make sure we have the infrastructure to serve current and future residents and businesses in Niagara.

A Schedule 'C' Class Environmental Assessment is underway to plan for a new wastewater treatment plant and improvements to wastewater systems in the South Niagara Falls area.

The new plant and system upgrades will meet growing needs and provide environmental benefits to the South Niagara Falls area. The public, stakeholders and agencies will be consulted and engaged through each step.

The Study

The environmental assessment is a transparent, mandated process that will identify and confirm some important factors:

• Wastewater treatment strategy for the area
• Preferred site for the new plant
• Sewer routes in the area
• Preferred technology and construction requirements
• Timing for design and construction

Project Background

We undertook an integrated process called Niagara 2041 where the Region looked at water and wastewater infrastructure, growth planning and transportation to establish a plan for Niagara's future. It identified significant opportunity for growth in the South Niagara Falls area.

Under this process, the 2016 Water and Wastewater Master Servicing Plan Update was completed. A key recommendation was to establish a new wastewater treatment plant in the South Niagara Falls area and have the sewer systems in the southern area connect to this new facility. Niagara Region Council and Niagara Falls Council adopted these recommendations in 2017.

Rationale

As the region grows and builds new communities, creates new jobs, and invests in new facilities like schools and hospitals, investment is needed to plan and build our infrastructure, including having what we need to treat wastewater.

There is significant residential and employment growth planned for Niagara and specifically for the South Niagara falls area. Of the total growth (employment and population) expected in Niagara Falls by 2041, 64 per cent of that growth is expected in South Niagara Falls area. This area will require a new wastewater treatment plant and upgrading our sewer system to support this growth and protect the environment.

Project Updates

• Class environmental assessment phase 2 - complete

  Following rigorous evaluation and stakeholder consultation, the study has completed phase 2 of the municipal environmental assessment class environmental assessment process and has selected the preferred wastewater servicing solution.
  
  The south Niagara Falls class environmental assessment includes three critical components:

  • Site location for the new wastewater treatment plant
  • Discharge location for the plants treated water (outfall location)
  • Associated sewer strategy

  The preliminary preferred solution for the three project components were presented at the third public information centre on March 11, 2020.
  
  The short list was evaluated against each other using a set of weighted criteria: environmental (25 per cent), social / cultural (25 per cent), legal / jurisdictional (10 per cent), technical (20 per cent) and financial (20 per cent). This weighting was presented to the public for feedback at our second public information centre on November 20, 2019.
  
  In addition to the criteria, the Region has consulted with an extensive stakeholder group including: the City of Niagara Falls, the City of Thorold, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Ontario Power Generation, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, residents, businesses and property owners of short-listed sites for feedback to help inform the decision-making process.
  
  The full decision-making process and the breakdown of the results of the evaluation can be found on the public information centre #3 display boards.
  
  Following the third public information centre, and review and consideration of stakeholder input, the preferred solution was selected:

  • New wastewater treatment plant site located at 6811 and 7047 Rexinger Rd.
  • Plant outfall location at Welland River East (Chippawa Creek)
  • Associated sewer strategy
• Class environmental assessment phase 3 - in progress

  This study is now in phase 3 of the class environmental assessment process. This includes a review and evaluation of alternative design concepts of the preferred solution. This phase will be supported by further investigations to identify potential impacts to the environment that alternative design concepts may present and help identify mitigation measures to deal with potential issues such as odour, noise, impact to surrounding land use and traffic.
  
  Through this phase, the preferred solution will be refined to select the siting of the plant within the current approximate 187 acre site at 6811 and 7047 Rexinger Rd. and confirm the detailed alignment and construction sites for the associated sewer strategy and plant outfall.
  
  The next public information centre is currently planned for fall 2020. During this event, the team will present the preliminary preferred design and construction concepts for the preferred solution.

Project Timeline