Barge and crane in Lake Ontario doing work on Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant outfall tunnel

By AMANDA GIBB

A barge and crane can be seen in Lake Ontario from the shores of Woodbine Beach, as part of a new outfall tunnel construction for Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant.

The construction including onshore and offshore work, and is expected to be completed by December 2023.

Susan Pape, the senior communications coordinator at the City of Toronto said the first phase of in-lake work is expected to be completed by the end of October. She said that the second phase will run from spring to fall of 2020, and the final phase will be completed in 2023.

“The existing outfall has been in operation since 1947 and is approaching the end of its service life,” said Pape.

The Environmental Assessment of Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant approved by the Ministry of Environment in 2008 found that the “outfall has limited peak capacity during high flow events and included a recommendation to construct the new outfall to accommodate the peak (high) flow of the plant,” said Pape.

The construction is expected to have minimal impact on the surrounding environment and the local community, said Pape.

“Impacts will be limited to some increased traffic around the plant property. A new signalized intersection at Leslie Street and Unwin Avenue will be constructed as part of the project to help mitigate the impact on the travelling public in this area,” said Pape.

The new outfall tunnel will increase the capacity and will operate under high flow conditions, mainly during rainstorms.

Upon completion, the new outfall tunnel will improve water quality at the shoreline, meeting both federal and provincial regulatory requirements, states the construction notice.

For more information read the notice here: https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/96c8-ecs-info-w14-ashbridgesbay-outfall-cons-jan10-18.pdf.

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