The existing Johnson’s Beach Sewage Pumping Station (SPS) services the Barrie Yacht Club and the public washrooms at Johnson’s Beach. It includes a single submersible pump located within its wet well. The station is in need of upgrades to bring it up to current design standards, including the installation of a second pump that can provide standby and redundancy support.
This project provides an opportunity to make additional improvements to the SPS, including adding new valves, increasing the space within the SPS to better allow for maintenance, and improving safety for workers accessing the SPS.
Proposed Works
Five alternatives were considered. After evaluation, “construct a new wet well and install two pumps” was identified as the preferred alternative. The proposed upgrades will include:
- Complete reconstruction of the station’s wet well.
- A new wet well structure, approximately 2.5m in diameter.
- Installation of two pumps, including one duty pump plus one standby pump.
- Isolation and check valves, as well as a flow meter.
- Upgrades to the pump control panel.
The preferred location of the new wet well is the southeast corner of the Johnson Street turnaround, approximately where the existing electrical panel is now.
Construction
Construction is planned to occur November 2026 – March 2027. The work will be completed in the off-season to avoid impacting summer activities at the Yacht Club or beach. During construction, access to the work area will be restricted. Use of pre-fabricated wet well components will be considered to reduce the construction timeline. Minor temporary site modifications to accommodate construction will include the removal of bollards, fencing and concrete curb. The final product will not impact residents or users of either the beach or the yacht club, as the new wet well will be underground.
Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Exemption
Under the Amended Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process (2023), this project was identified as eligible for exemption from the Class EA requirements, pending the results of an archaeological screening process (ASP). Eligible projects confirmed under the ASP to have no negative archaeological impacts are exempt from the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). The ASP completed for this project concludes that this site does not contain archaeological potential. As such, it is exempt from the requirements of the EAA. See Archaeological Screening Checklist & Technical Memorandum.