Payette Water System Secondary Water Supply Municipal Class Environmental Assessment

The Town of Penetanguishene has completed the Schedule B Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) for the Payette Water System. The preferred secondary water supply alternative for the Town identified through this Class EA is to Provide Treatment at the Robert Street Wellfield to Supply up to 3,273 m³/day. Water treatment will consist of disinfection and trichlorethylene (TCE) removal to below the Ontario Drinking Water Standard of 5 ug/L.

Interested persons should provide written comments on the proposed project to the Town within thirty (30) calendar days of this notice (September 21, 2023). Comments should be directed to Jane Wilson of J.L. Richards & Associates Limited and Jeff Hamelin, Manager of Capital Projects, Town of Penetanguishene.

In addition, a request may be made to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks for an order requiring a higher level of study (i.e., requiring an individual EA approval before being able to proceed), or that conditions be imposed (e.g., require further studies), only on the grounds that the requested order may prevent, mitigate, or remedy adverse impacts on constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights. Requests on other grounds will not be considered. Requests should include the requester contact information and full name.

To ensure that the Ministry can efficiently begin reviewing the request, requests should specify what kind of order is being requested (additional conditions or an individual environmental assessment), how an order may prevent, mitigate, or remedy potential adverse impacts, and any information in support of the statements in the request. Please visit the Ministry’s website for more information on requests for orders under section 16 of the Environmental Assessment Act at: https://www.ontario.ca/page/class-environmental-assessments-section-16-order The request should be sent in writing or by e-mail to:

Requests to the Ministry should also be sent to Jane Wilson, J.L. Richards & Associates Limited, and Jeff Hamelin, Manager of Capital Projects, Town of Penetanguishene by mail or by e-mail.

Information will be collected in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

The preliminary preferred alternative may have an impact on stakeholders and property owners, therefore, public consultation is a key element of the process. A Public Information Centre (PIC) is being held to gather input from stakeholders and residents on the preliminary preferred solution. All those interested in the project are invited to attend. The meeting will include a public comment and question period.

Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023

Start Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Council Chambers, 10 Robert Street West, Penetanguishene, ON

The study area for this Class EA encompasses the area currently serviced by the Payette Wellfield within the urban boundary of the Town.

JLR was retained by the Town of Penetanguishene to lead this Class EA.

This Class EA is being conducted under the framework of the Municipal Engineers Association (MEA) Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) process. The MCEA process is a planning tool that identifies infrastructure requirements for existing and future land use through the application of environmental assessment principals.

This MEA Class EA is being completed with sufficient detail to fulfill the requirements for Schedule ‘B’ projects (Approach 2). Projects categorized as Schedule ‘B’ undertakings have the potential for significant environmental impacts and are required to follow specific phases under the Municipal Class EA. This includes consultation with all parties that may potentially be affected by the project and the preparation of a Class EA Project File that documents the Class EA process.

For this Class EA, the Project File Report will be made available for public and agency review at the completion of the Class EA process for a mandatory 30-day period. A request may be made to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for an order requiring a higher level of study (i.e., requiring an individual/comprehensive EA approval before being able to proceed), or that conditions be imposed (e.g., require further studies), only on the grounds that the requested order may prevent, mitigate or remedy adverse impacts on constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights. If there are no requests to the MECP for a ‘Part II Order’ within the review period, then the project can proceed to implementation (Phase 5).