Algae on lakes at west end of Sudbury likely to remain despite $34M upgrade to wastewater plant

Investments into a wastewater treatment plant at the western end of the City of Greater Sudburyhas some people hoping it will help improve the slimy appearance of the lakes located further downstream, but a local advocate says it ultimately won't help remediate the historical pollution the algae feeds on.

The growth of greenalgae inSimon Lake, McCharles Lake and Mud Lake has been facilitated by the high quantity of phosphorous left behind by the dumping of raw sewage in Junction Creek in the early 1970s.

David Pearson has lived on Simon Lake for four decades.

He says the province's recent $34 million investmentinto the Walden wastewater treatment plant will help improve overall quality, but would need to be accompanied by upgrades at the downtown Sudbury wastewater plant to make a significant difference.

"The problems don't begin in Simon and McCharles Lake," said Pearson, an environmental scientist by profession. "They begin upstream in Kelly Lake and that's the responsibility of the Sudbury treatment plant. So it needs to go hand in hand."

Housing needs prompted recent investment

Shawn Chrtien,from the City of Greater Sudbury, says the primary reason that led the province to invest in the Walden wastewater treatment plant is the need for new housing in the area.

The province suggests the upgradewill build capacity for the wastewater system to service3,300 new homes.

He says if it wasn't for housing,improvements to that facility wouldn't have been a priority.

"We were looking at doing it probably in the next, I want to say 10 years or so, but it wouldn't have been the next year or two," he said.

"It would have been very difficult to finance a project this large, so the funding is a tremendous boonfor the city."

He says the upgrades will help reduce the amount ofphosphorous currently being released by the facility, although he does specify that the plant is currently releasing amounts that are below the regulated compliance limit.