Kingsville delays Ruthven sewer upgrades pending court decision

A sign in the Town of Kingsville can be seen in this undated photo. (Town of Kingsville)

Major sewer upgrades in Ruthven have been paused while Kingsville awaits a court decision on a challenge brought by the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG), who are seeking refunds of fees paid under the town’s sewer bylaws.

After introducing new sewer bylaws last year, council heard that greenhouse wastewater flows dropped by about 28 per cent, but the Ruthven system is still under strain and taking in more sewage than it was designed to handle.

Council heard that seven greenhouses are fully compliant, eight are working toward compliance, and 10 have made little progress under the current sewer rules.

A motion was passed to issue disconnection notices to the 10 greenhouse operations, giving them 90 days to work toward compliance.

Mayor Dennis Rogers urged the OGVG to drop the lawsuit to begin working towards solutions together.

“And then together we go to the province and we ask for funding,” he said.

“We get funding for Ruthven, we get funding for our wastewater treatment plant, and the biggest ask of all is asking for continuous funding for communities with a dense greenhouse concentration to help pay for infrastructure.”

Bert Mucci, CEO of Mucci Farms, pledged to be apart of a solution.

“What I am asking from council, together with OGVG is very simple, continued conversation, mutual respect and a willingness to work together. As an employer I see first-hand how important these jobs are, as a resident I see how important quality of life is,” said Mucci.

Council also heard that the Ruthven pump station is underperforming, despite more than $840,000 in upgrades.

Shaun Martinho, director of public services, said long-term fixes could cost millions.

“What I can say with confidence is that the risk in Ruthven at this moment in time has been the lowest since we discovered this problem,” Martinho said.

“We’ve reduced flows to the pump station by 28 per cent, we’ve rented oversized pumps that are currently at the pump station and they’re able to pump more what the pump station was able to do prior to the storm event in 2023.”

Council voted to move ahead with a Water and Wastewater Master Servicing Plan to map out future needs across the entire system, including Kingsville, Ruthven, and Cottam, with a full report coming back at a later date.