Water and Wastewater Reports

Water Financial Plan 

Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. (Watson) was retained by the Municipality of Port Hope to undertake an update to the 2014 Water and Wastewater Rate Study. Part of this undertaking is to prepare a Water Ontario Regulation 453/07 Financial Plan to address the submission requirements for maintaining a municipal drinking water license, as per the Safe Drinking Water Act.

In general, a financial plan requires a forecast of the Municipality's financial statements for water services (i.e. statements of financial position, operations, changes in net financial assets/debts, and cashflow).

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that municipalities prepare a water financial plan for a forecast period spanning at least 6 years, and that this plan be submitted to the Ministry of Environment every 5 years. As per these requirements, the Municipality’s Financial Plan must be approved by Council and submitted to the Ministry of Environment.

The Municipality is currently in the process of completing the 2020 Water and Wastewater Rate Study. This study will require Council to approve the water and wastewater net expenditure forecasts and corresponding funding sources to achieve full cost recovery from rate payers. This study is scheduled to go before Council later than the compliance deadline under the municipal drinking water license program. As such, an interim financial plan was being presented to Council for approval and submission to the Ministry of Environment to comply with the licensing requirements. This interim financial plan is based on the Municipality’s approved 2015 Water Financial Plan with extension of the forecast period from 2024 to 2025 to comply with the minimum 6-year forecast period requirement.

It is anticipated that once the 2020 Water and Wastewater Rate Study is approved by Council, that the financial plan will be updated to reflect this approval. Correspondingly, the updated financial plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Environment at that time as an amendment to this interim Financial Plan.

Council Resolution 20/2020 has authorized staff to post the Water System Financial Plan on the website with information regarding how to obtain copies of the plan and how to make submissions to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as well as the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and any other steps required pertaining to the Water System Financial Plan.

Water Financial Plan

For questions, email us or call 905-885-2431.

 Drinking Water System - Annual and Summary

• The water quality and summary report compares the level of quality for the drinking water in Port Hope area to the Ontario Drinking Water Standards in the legislation O.Reg.169/03
• The water and wastewater monitoring report documents actual water use and wastewater flows, water production and wastewater treatment capacities, development planning and remaining capacity.

Drinking Water System Annual and Summary Report

 Drinking Water Quality Management Plan

The Municipality of Port Hope has developed the Quality Management System (QMS) that conforms to the Ministry’s Drinking Water Quality Management Standard. The Municipality’s QMS is documented in an Operational Plan, which describes how Port Hope meets or exceeds the requirements of the Ministry of the Environment prescribed standard. Port Hope received certification as an "Accredited Operating Authority" in August 2010 and continues to maintain this status.

Drinking Water Quality Management Plan

Wastewater Treatment Plan Annual Performance Report

Each year the Municipality of Port Hope releases wastewater performance reports. This report reviews summary of all monitored data. along with any corrective actions needing to have taken place, and other information. You can email us to request previous years reports or if you have questions.

2019 Wastewater Treatment Plant Annual Performance Report

Wastewater Collection System Annual Performance Report

Each year the Municipality of Port Hope releases wastewater collection system performance reports. This report reviews summary of all monitored data, along with any corrective actions needing to have taken place, maintenance activities and other information. You can email us to request previous years reports or if you have questions.

2019 Wastewater Collection System Annual Performance Report

Wastewater System Bypass and Overflow Report

Terms

Bypass means diversion of sewage around one or more treatment processes, excluding Preliminary Treatment System, within the Sewage Treatment Plant with the diverted flows being returned to the Sewage Treatment Plant treatment train upstream of the Final Effluent sampling point(s) and discharge via the approved effluent disposal facilities.

Overflow means a discharge to the environment from the Works at designed location(s) other than the approved effluent disposal facilities or via the effluent disposal facilities downstream of the final Effluent sampling point.

Overview

The Municipality of Port Hope places a high value in protecting the natural environment and local waterways. As such, the Municipality is committed to posting information about sewage bypass and overflows to the Municipal website within one business day of such an occurrence.

A sewage bypass can occur when a structural, mechanical or electrical failure causes a temporary reduction in the capacity of a treatment process that is likely to result in personal injury, loss of life, health hazard, basement flooding, severe property damage, equipment damage or treatment process upset, if a portion of the flow is not bypassed. Planned bypasses, if it is a direct and unavoidable result of a planned repair and maintenance procedure or other circumstance(s), must be approved by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, prior to the bypass event.

A sewage overflow occurs when wastewater overflows to the natural environment from the sanitary collection system or when there is a discharge of partially treated sewage from a wastewater treatment plant, often as a result of excessive groundwater and stormwater entering the system during heavy rains, rapid snowmelt or pipe breakage.

The Municipalities sanitary collection systems are nominally separate, meaning that sanitary and stormwater flows are carried in different pipes with different destinations, however stormwater inflows and infiltrates into the sanitary system from numerous sources.

Wastewater bypasses and overflows within the Municipalities sanitary system are extremely rare.

Reporting to Ministry of the Environment, Conservation & Parks

By law, the Municipality is required to report sanitary bypasses and overflows to the Spills Action Centre, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the Medical Officer of Health, Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit.

This information is currently captured in the Municipalities annual performance reports for the wastewater treatment plant and the wastewater collection system. The Municipalities annual performance reports are available for download under the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wastewater Collection System drop down tabs.

Wastewater Bypass and Overflow Reports

Recent Port Hope Wastewater Treatment Plant Bypass or Overflow Events

Recent Port Hope Wastewater Collection System Overflow Events

The Municipality designs and upgrades its wastewater treatment and collection system to ensure adequate storage capacity and minimize the risk of bypass and overflow events. All infrastructure work within the Municipality must adhere to the Municipalities Engineering Standards and provincial requirements.

Reducing Overflows

The Municipality is currently undertaking work to complete a sanitary collection model which will enable Staff to identify existing system deficiencies and create a capital improvement plan aimed at reducing and replacing undersized and substandard infrastructure.