Casselman has a water plan, but it will be costly

The Municipality of Casselman has a plan to resolve its water problems, but it is going to take more than $101 million.

The municipality has completed a Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Master Plan which includes a new water supply for the municipality to be delivered by a high-pressure watermain from the City of Clarence-Rockland. That solution will end the ongoing issue of brown and yellow water in Casselman each summer due to high levels of the mineral manganese in the South Nation River, which is currently the municipality’s water source.

However, Mayor Geneviève Lajoie estimated the cost of building the watermain and connecting Casselman to water from Clarence-Rockland will cost more than $101 million. Lajoie said 50 per cent of the cost will have to come from the Ontario and federal governments.

In 2023, manganese in the water was particularly noticeable and led to significant concerns from residents. The Province of Ontario, which regulates drinking water safety, does not have a legal limit for manganese in drinking water. However, the federal government does have a guideline. According to Health Canada, the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for total manganese in drinking water is 0.12 milligrams per litre (mg/L). As an example, on July 7, 2023, the manganese level in Casselman was 0.35 mg/L. and 0.45 mg/L. On July 21, 2023, the level was one mg/L.

In recent weeks, Lajoie held discussions with residents about the ongoing manganese issue in Casselman’s water as a way of improving dialogue and transparency.

“I feel confident we’re making the right decision,” she said.

Lajoie is hopeful contracts for the initial stages of the project can be issued by the end of the summer. She said a Class Environmental Assessment process is taking place in Clarence-Rockland about the proposal and assurances are required that the size of the pipeline will be adequate to serve Casselman’s needs.

Water from the Ottawa River is already taken into a pipeline in Clarence-Rockland which serves that city. In 2023, a new pipeline opened from the city to Limoges by way of Cheney to supplement municipal water needs there.

Unfortunately, residences along the route of the new water pipeline between Clarence-Rockland and Casselman will not be able to connect to the system. That is because the pressure in the pipeline will be too high.

Lajoie said the discussions with residents were an opportunity for them to get a better understanding of the project and the process.

“Overall, I felt it went positively,” she said.

The Casselman Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Master Plan is currently available at https://en.casselman.ca/cms/one.aspx?pageId=5813011. The public may submit comments until June 12 by contacting Susan Shi, Senior Environmental Engineer, J.L. Richards and Associates Limited, J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd., 203-863 Princess Street, Kingston, ON K7L 5N4, or by email at [email protected]. Or, contact Municipality of Casselman Director of Public Works Pierre-Paul Beauchamp at 751 St-Jean Street, Casselman, ON K0A 1M0, or by email at [email protected].