Dear Editor:
This letter is a response to Christina Cull’s letter which appeared in the Aug. 31 edition of Whitewater News.
It’s nice to see that people like Christina Cull are speaking out about Muskrat Lake.
She may not be aware that in March 2017 the Muskrat Lake Association (MLA) submitted a Part ll Order Request form asking for a spill lagoon or some other means of eliminating the bypasses of the proposed Cobden Effluent Treatment Plant. Because the MLA submitted this form it’s put a hold on the new Effluent Treatment Plant waiting for a decision by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Ontario.
From March 12, 2013 to July 9, 2016 the Cobden Effluent Treatment plant was bypassed into Muskrat Lake 524 hours. That includes 341 hours the plant was down for maintenance.
In a September 7, 2012 letter from Rick Watchorn, Pembroke District Manager of MNR, to then mayor Jim Labow he referenced an August 13, 2012 Muskrat Lake Water Quality meeting held in Bancroft. One of the discussion points in that meeting: “Implement storm-water management in the built up area of the village of Cobden.”
It’s also interesting to note that Joe Janota of Jp2g also suggested the same idea for storm water in the July 19, 2017 meeting of the Cobden Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades project team and I quote:
“J. Janota: noted that a spill basin or a lagoon does make sense to treat the quality of storm water in Cobden’s main storm water channel, before it discharges into Muskrat Lake. However that would be an entirely separate project.”
Donald W. Deer P.Eng.
Cobden, ON
