Wasaga trail to reopen soon following sewage spill

Feb 01, 2024

Yellow caution tape blocks access to a trail in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, after 1.4 million litres of sewage from the Wasaga Beach sewage treatment plant was spilled onto park property following an equipment failure issue May 12. - Ian Adams/Metroland

A municipal trail closed following a sewage spill should be open by later on Tuesday (May 16), according to Wasaga Beach officials.

On May 12, about 1.4 million litres — or 1,400 cubic metres — of material was released from the Wasaga Beach Waste Treatment Plant while a sludge haulage truck was being loaded with solids certified for land application to fertilize crops.

Municipal officials say they believe the cause of the spill was a failed valve within the plant, which is operated by the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA).

Town officials learned of the spill just before 7 a.m. on the 12th, and alerted OCWA. A suction truck immediately began to clean up the spill, and Ontario Parks was contacted in order to gain access through park property to some areas affected by the spill. Town officials say the spill did not reach the park property.

According to a statement from the town’s director of communications and intergovernmental affairs, Sandra Watts, the material was contained to town-owned property, and the trail was closed out of an abundance of caution.

As of May 16, most of the cleanup had been completed, she wrote in an email to Simcoe.com, and of what material remained — because it was a certified material for agricultural land application — some of it had already dried and was being absorbed by the soil and vegetation.

“For esthetic reasons, not health-related concerns, additional work is being done (Tuesday) morning on the trails so we can get those opened shortly,” Watts stated. “There is no threat to drinking water or human or pet health. It’s a low-odour type of material as well.

“While residents shouldn’t be concerned, we ask that they stay off the closed trails while the remaining material is being removed.”

Watts said that through OCWA, an assessment is ongoing to confirm the source of the spill. Contingencies have also been put in place at the plant and a new alarm has been set up to alert staff and prevent the situation from recurring in the future.