Tavistock WWTP Class EA Study

06/20/2024

Status: Consultation

Status: Consultation

Purpose

Oxford County is undertaking a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) Study to explore a range of possibilities for expanding the Tavistock Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in order to determine the most appropriate solution that will support the growing wastewater servicing needs within the Village of Tavistock in the Township of East Zorra-Tavistock.

Scope

Oxford County owns and operates the Tavistock WWTP, which provides treatment for residential and non-residential wastewater generated in the Village of Tavistock. The WWTP consists of three aerated facultative lagoon cells, one effluent storage lagoon, and four intermittent sand ﬁlters that polish the WWTP efﬂuent prior to discharge to the Hohner Drain and eventually the Thames River.

Oxford County is initiating a Municipal Class EA Study that will consider a wide range of enhancement options for the Tavistock WWTP. The Study objective is to identify the most cost-effective, environmentally sound, and sustainable approach to provide wastewater treatment capacity at the existing Tavistock WWTP to service the existing sewage flows as well as future growth in the Village of Tavistock.

This notice signals the commencement of the Class EA Study which will:

define the project;
identify and evaluate alternative solutions; and,
determine a preferred solution in consultation with the public, Indigenous communities and regulatory agencies.

Social, cultural, economic and natural environment impacts will be evaluated and assessed during the Class EA Study.

This study is being carried out in accordance with the requirements of Schedule C of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (2024), approved under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. Upon completion of this study, an Environmental Study Report documenting the process will be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and made available for public review for a minimum period of 30 calendar days.

Public consultation

Public, Indigenous, and technical agency consultation is a key component of the Class EA process and will be sought throughout the study. As part of the Class EA study, a Public Consultation Centre (PCC) is being held to present the long-term wastewater servicing solutions that are being considered and evaluated for capacity expansion of the Tavistock WWTP, and to provide residents and interested parties with the opportunity to provide comments and ask questions of Oxford County staff and the County’s consultant, R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd.

Project information, study documents and updates are available on the project website on Speak Up, Oxford! www.oxfordcounty.ca/tavistock-wwtp-study

Study material and plans will also be available for public review at the upcoming Public Consultation Centre (PCC).

Both in-person and virtual meeting options will be available for this consultation period and will include a presentation by R.V. Anderson Associates Limited, followed by a question and answer period.

PCC dates and registration details are as follows:

Virtual (online) meeting
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Please visit the project study page to register and/or for login info to join the meeting:
www.oxfordcounty.ca/tav-wwtp-ea

In-person meeting
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Drop in 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. – Presentation at 5:15 p.m.
Tavistock Memorial Hall
3 Adam Street, Tavistock
For more information or to register visit: www.oxfordcounty.ca/tav-wwtp-ea

If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive notices and information, or if you wish to provide comments at any time during the Class EA Study process, you can do so through the project contacts.

All comments received through the course of the study will be considered and documented in the Project File Report as part of the public record.

Information will be collected in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

Study documents

Contacts

Rina Kurian, P.Eng.
Project Manager, R.V. Anderson Associates Ltd.
416-497-8600, ext. 1429 | Email contact

Rob Wiersma, P.Eng.
Senior Project Engineer, GEI Consultants
Oxford County
905-643-6688, ext. 6228 | Email contact