Developing a Biosolids Strategy with the Community – A Modified Approach to Long-term Biosolids Planning at the Region of Waterloo

The Region of Waterloo (Region) is a mid-sized municipality in southern Ontario, Canada, about 100 kilometers west of Toronto, Ontario. The Region is made up of three cities, Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo, and four townships, North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich. With a combined population of more than 553,000, Waterloo Region is one of the fastest-growing areas in Ontario and is expected to reach a total population of 729,000 by 2041.In 2011, the Region completed a biosolids master plan, recommending the preferred biosolids management strategy be a centralized biosolids heat drying facility for its largest facilities. The aim was to heat-dry anaerobically-digested, dewatered biosolids into pellets to further reduce volume and thereby reduce trucking. By modifying biosolids into pellets, it would also lessen the risk to the Region of any long-term limitations to continue to use its current practice of land application or landfilling.In order to find a location for the heat drying facility, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was subsequently undertaken. To further close the green energy loop, a requirement to use waste heat from a third party was part of the recommended configuration. A potential location was identified using waste heat from a steel processing factory, which itself utilizes landfill methane gas.Standard methods to implement the EA were carried out that involved creating a long list of potential alternatives, establishing evaluation criteria, identifying impacts and mitigation measures, and performing the evaluation. Public consultation exceeded the EA guidelines where four public consultation centers were held instead of the one normally required.In the ensuing public consultation phase however, considerable public opposition was encountered. Many who attended the public open houses had already made their minds beforehand and were not in agreement to the proposed facility. Many stated that they were uninformed of the process and were not given an opportunity to have their say, even though the EA requirements had been exceeded. The local media also covered the EA with focus on public displeasure at the facility.In the end, the Region decided to step back from the implementation of the heat drying facility. Instead, an update to the biosolids master plan would be made by further reviewing alternatives for a sustainable, long-term biosolids management strategy.