$10 million later, Stratford's sewage finally heading out of town

Commuters willno longer have to hold their noses when they enter Stratford from the HillsboroughBridge at certain times of the year.

Stratford's wastewater has begun flowing through a pipeline built across the bridgeto the Charlottetown Pollution Control Plant.

Once enough time has elapsed to ensure there are no issues, the final decommissioning of the existing lagoons will begin this spring.

Stratford Mayor Steve Ogden said the town is looking forward to a future without waterfront odour issues.

"We're no longer having to deal with, you know, the problems in the spring and, you know, the turnover and all that sort of thing. So I think it's a better quality of life for people who live in the area. It's better for the businesses that don't suffer that decline in business for that period of time and that sort of thing.

"So it's going to be just a positive solution all around."

We're no longer having to deal with, you know, the problems in the spring. Mayor Steve Ogden

Construction began on the $10-million project in the fall of 2019 and will conclude with the decommissioning of the existing lagoon wastewater treatment facility in Stratford.

Most of the funding came from the federal government'sClean Water and Wastewater Fund. The P.E.I. government contributed about $2.7 million.

The projectincludesapproximately 2.5 kilometres of sewer pipelines and infrastructure that connects to the City of Charlottetown wastewater collection system.

The town intends to turn the decommissioned lagoon area into green space to create a more inviting entrance to the community, Ogden noted.

"We're currently working on a public consultation to see what we'll put down on the waterfront, for recreational space and whatever else people would like to see there. So, yeah, it's a very exciting time. It's a very positive thing for the community."

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