Ingonish Wastewater Treatment and Collection System Project

At the recent Committee of the Whole meeting held on September 8 at the municipal building, Victoria County Council received an update on the Ingonish Wastewater Treatment System project.

A key highlight from the presentation was the introduction of a modular wastewater treatment plant supplied by Newterra which has a manufacturing and service location in Ontario. This high-efficiency Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) treatment system results in excellent treated effluent, surpassing the standards set by environmental regulations.

The decision to source the MBR system followed a public information session held in March 2025, where area residents emphasized environmental protection as a top priority. Sourcing the system from a supplier in Canada also helps avoid potential delays and added costs associated with cross-border procurement.

Key features of the modular treatment plant include:

For this project there will be two MBR treatment plants with the following capacities:

This modular approach ensures modern, efficient and environmentally responsible wastewater treatment for the Ingonish area.

In addition, council received updates on the phased construction plan, the status of provincial and federal permitting, ongoing stakeholder engagement and the overall project budget.

The first phase of the project has been awarded to Zutphen Contractors with construction expected to begin in October.

Overview

To address the need for improved wastewater infrastructure and support future growth, the Municipality of Victoria County is building a wastewater treatment and collection system in the community of Ingonish. The new system will provide wastewater services to properties from the Ingonish Landing Marina to the Parks Canada boundary.

Phase 1

The first phase of the project consists of the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and collection system servicing the south side of South Ingonish Harbour. This phase of the project is currently in the final design and permitting stage. A tender for phase one has been issued and construction is scheduled to begin in September 2025.

Phase 2

The second phase of the project continues north around the harbour to the Parks Canada boundary and consists of an additional wastewater treatment plant and collection system for residential and commercial properties. This is currently in the design stage and construction is not expected to begin until 2026.

Design for this second phase will be shaped by available budget and feedback from the community and from the 2025 information sessions and survey. Priority will be given to property owners who responded ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ to the 2025 survey.

More information about how and when to connect to the municipal system will be announced as we get closer to the construction dates.

During the permitting process for the Ingonish Wastewater Treatment System Project, a Request for Review was submitted to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), who subsequently requested a dedicated benthic habitat survey at the proposed outfall pipe location.

A benthic habitat survey is a study of the plants, animals, and physical characteristics of the bottom of a body of water.

Dillon Consulting Limited (Dillon) was retained to develop the study plan and to carry out the video analysis and reporting. For the field surveys, Dillon subcontracted Commercial Diving and Marine Service Canada (CMDS).

On June 16, 2025 a benthic habitat survey was completed in South Ingonish Harbour and a memo outlining the survey methodology and results was prepared by Dillon on July 7, 2025.

Results

The habitat within South Ingonish Harbour showed very little variation throughout the survey area. The substrate was dominated by fine material, a combination of mud, silt and organic material. There was no coarser substrate observed. Marine vegetation was largely absent, with only isolated areas of sparse filamentous algae coverage. There were no finfish observed or benthic macroinvertebrates observed, save for sparse occurrences of oyster shells. No specialized habitat was observed within the transects. Eelgrass was not present within the transects. The habitat present is suitable for general fish use however it is not anticipated that it would be used for life processes including spawning or rearing.

Read the complete Benthic Habitat Survey in South Ingonish Nova Scotia Memo

In April 2025, the Municipality of the County of Victoria launched a second community survey to gather feedback on the proposed Ingonish Wastewater Collection and Treatment System. Surveys were mailed to all property owners in the potential catchment area and were available in both paper and online formats.

This builds on an earlier survey conducted in 2024, which received 194 responses. For 2025, a total of 236 responses were recorded. This includes 167 new submissions and responses carried over from 2024 for property owners who did not submit a new response. Each response reflects one Property Identification Number (PID), except in cases of multi-unit residences where each unit with its own water and tax account was eligible to respond.

2025 Results:

2024 Results:

Key points:

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