Burford Water and Wastewater Servicing and Drainage Plan

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Update May 2023:

A new document has been added to the right side menu under "Documents" titled "Burford Water and Wastewater Project Update - May 2023". This update was mailed to all Burford residents and provides results from the survey, information about growth, provincial direction and next steps. The next public meeting will be planned for Fall 2023.


The County of Brant is pleased to engage with the Burford community regarding alternatives for water and wastewater services. Your input will be very important to the outcome of this project.

Why is the County considering water and wastewater alternatives

Update May 2023:

A new document has been added to the right side menu under "Documents" titled "Burford Water and Wastewater Project Update - May 2023". This update was mailed to all Burford residents and provides results from the survey, information about growth, provincial direction and next steps. The next public meeting will be planned for Fall 2023.


The County of Brant is pleased to engage with the Burford community regarding alternatives for water and wastewater services. Your input will be very important to the outcome of this project.

Why is the County considering water and wastewater alternatives for Burford?

  • It is time for road reconstruction and consideration for a new stormwater management plan in Burford. When major construction projects occur, it is a good idea to consider what other projects should also be completed. Now is the time to decide if watermain, sanitary sewers and stormwater sewers need to be installed.
  • Many septic systems are at the end of their life expectancy.
  • Some private wells do not meet Ontario Drinking Water Standards.
  • It is time to revitalize downtown Burford to promote a vibrant downtown core.

We are at the beginning stages of this conversation with the Burford community so please tell us what you like, what you are concerned about and what questions you have. This will help shape the overall plan.

As you may remember before the COVID-19 pandemic began, we hosted an open house to begin the discussion about water and wastewater services and improving drainage within Burford. At this meeting, we heard from residents:

  • Concerns that water and/or wastewater servicing will cost money
  • Some prefer their current systems
  • Concerns that servicing may lead to growth within the community
  • Some residents and businesses would appreciate having municipal water and/or a sewage system
  • Most residents agreed that improved drainage was important for the community

It’s really important for you to know that the County has NOT made any decisions about the outcomes or future plans. We want to work with the community to understand your needs and concerns and develop a plan together that makes sense.

The County is open to considering a number of options that will make sense for the residents and business owners in Burford. Some of the options could include:
• Continuing with the current private water and wastewater servicing method OR
• Providing a municipal water supply and sanitary sewage collection OR
• A hybrid of the two previous options
• We could also consider targeting specific areas such as the downtown for some servicing
• We will also consider various drainage improvements

Engage with Us!

A virtual meeting was held on November 21, 2022 at 6:00 pm. To view this meeting, please see the video contained in the right side menu.

For those who could not attend the Virtual Meeting, small group discussions and one-on-one phone conversations were also available.

A slide presentation and print package are available. The slide presentation is posted here and the print package is available by calling the Burford Customer Service Office, 26 Park Ave., Burford and requesting a package for yourself or a neighbour.

Please complete the online survey below or print the survey and submit to the County of Brant Burford Administration Office, 26 Park Ave. Burford by December 23, 2022.

Please note, questions that are asked below will be responded to following the Public Meetings.

Register to this page for project updates.

We welcome your questions and comments on the Burford Water and Wastewater Servicing and Drainage Plan.

Please note, questions will be answered following the Public Meetings.

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  • Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link

    With the Province expecting the County to accommodate 59,000 new residents within the next 30 years, what is expected growth per town? (Paris / St George /Burford - how many residents per location or number of homes) Does this 59,000 included the growth we have seen in Pairs already?

    Bhenry asked 9 months ago

    Thanks for this question. The 59,000 residents is the expected total population of the County of Brant by 2051. The County of Brant’s population was calculated at 36,700 residents in 2016 and 40,700 residents in 2021.

    These numbers all include the growth being seen throughout the County of Brant. The minimum anticipated population for the County’s three primary settlement areas can be found in Section 2.3 of the Addendum to the Municipal Comprehensive Review (www.engagebrant.ca/OfficialPlan under the “Documents” heading) and is noted as follows:

     

    Paris: 25,400 residents from 15,400 in 2021 (9,870 households from 5,660 in 2021)

    St. George: 7,500 from 3,500 in 2021 (2,850 households from 1,240 in 2021)

    Burford: 2,400  from 1,800 in 2021 (945 households from 690 in 2021).


    Thank you,

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management

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    My wife and I went door to door with a petition around Burford to really see what "we the people" want! (You have a copy of it) Out of all our signatures only 2 people wanted sewer and water, and one was moving to Woodstock as their house just sold and are moving to an old age home. So i guess my question is..... when will you ask the people that live here what they really want for OUR community? When will you stop paving over the best farm land in the world before you realize you need farms to feed the world! Once it's gone, it's gone forever! This is our life! It's not a video game!

    Keba79 asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your comments and for your interest in the Burford Master Plan study. Consulting with the affected community, property owners and other stakeholders is an important part of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process. We’re very interested in receiving feedback from the community. To date, we’ve received a variety of comments since the public meeting in November 2022 both for and against municipal servicing and moderate community growth. The community growth that we consider for the Master Plan study will be very much dependent on the outcome of the on-going Official Plan update, which should be completed in late spring of this year. The Master Plan will evaluate the various alternatives against a number of different criteria (i.e. environmental, technical, social, financial, etc) including community input. There will be more opportunities to provide feedback as the alternatives for water, wastewater and stormwater are developed and evaluated. Please continue to provide your comments as the study progresses.

    R. Walton, P. Eng

    General Manager, Operations

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    What will be the cost to household be to hook up? What will this expense look like on our land taxes for those outside the area ?

    Marlene asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your questions and your interest in this study. Unfortunately, connection fee estimates cannot be developed at this point in the study due to the number of variables that affect the estimates. At the next public meeting, connection fee estimates will be available for the alternatives that are carried forward from the November 21st public meeting. There are a number of different projects that could result from the Master Plan study, and the various projects have various funding sources (including taxation, direct contributions from affected property owners, development charges, user fees, Provincial gas tax, etc). Further detail will be provided at the next public meeting.

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure Services

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    You state you have not made any plans, yet developers are selling lots to build and expand the community. How can they sell on a promise to develops 117 lots? if you have not made the promise to pass the waste/sewage management and water treatment plants plus the infrastructure to each household for them to build?

    Marlene asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your comments and your interest in this study. At the November 21st public meeting, the project team noted that there have been some very recent inquiries about residential developments in Burford. 

    To date, the Master Plan study has only been considering minor infill development and two proposed developments (Creekside Village and 6 Maple Ave apartments). These are shown on the presentation slides. As noted at the meeting, the County’s new Official Plan will need to be finalized before future growth estimates for Burford can be developed further. Please note that recent development proposals will be required to follow a public consultation process that satisfies the Planning Act. This has not occurred for these developments and lots have not been established for sale.

    Please continue to follow the Engage Brant webpage for updates on the study.

    R. Walton, P. Eng.

    General Manager of Operations

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    Where will the water be sources from?

    Donjones asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question. A number of alternatives have been investigated for municipal water supply for Burford. As presented at the November 21 public meeting, a municipal water supply from the Airport Water System was carried forward for further evaluation. Maintaining private wells was also an option that is carried forward for further evaluation.

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure Services

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    Where is the water going to come from? Airport water system? Or will a new treatment facility be built? Will a wastewater treatment facility be built?

    Sunny Jones asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your questions. Various options were considered for providing municipal water to Burford, including a new well and treatment plant in Burford, the extension of the Airport water system and the extension of the Paris water system. A new wastewater treatment facility in Burford was considered but was screened out early in the study for several reasons including capital cost and the approvals required to discharge treated effluent to Whiteman’s Creek. Please see the November 21, 2022 public meeting presentation on Engage Brant for more comprehensive information about the water and wastewater alternatives.

    R. Walton, P. Eng.

    General Manager of Operations

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    Why does our water need to be "upgraded" to city water? Anyone that lives in the city doesn't drink their water. Everyone drinks bottled water. "Environmentally friendly" putting al those plastic bottles into the environment? Instead of bringing water here, I'd rather continuing drinking my water, or i'll put my own treatment system in my own home with no tax payer money

    Keba79 asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question and comments. The Burford Master Plan study was initiated in response to requests from some members of the community who requested that the County review municipal water and wastewater servicing options for the community. Please feel free to submit your feedback as the study progresses.

    R. Walton, P. Eng.

    General Manager of Operations

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    Comment on Burford Water. I feel it is very important to keep what we have in Burford. We have a great little community. I have seen other places,e.g. Paris, expand and grow to be like a large overblown city. I know the provincial government wants more housing in Ontario, and is putting pressure on Brant County also, but Burford does not need to be where this happens. Burford is great the way it is. Bringing water into here would promote growth. Lots of growth. It is unnecessary to have this kind of growth all over. Keep our village the way it is. We DON"T need growth, we need to MAINTAIN what we have. The downtown is great just as it is. At the moment there is only one storefront that is not used. All the other places have businesses in them. This is as vibrant as we need. Sometimes, it is so vibrant, it's hard to find a parking spot. With water comes expansion, comes problems, not to mention the added price of bringing this water and sewage into our homes (not an insignificant cost). You don't know how good something is till you lose it. Let's not do something we will regret later.

    mar asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your comments and for participating in the study. All of the feedback that we receive from residents, business owners and other stakeholders will help inform the evaluation of the various water, wastewater and drainage alternatives.

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure Services

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    Where will the water be supplied from?

    Donjones asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question. A number of alternatives have been investigated for municipal water supply for Burford. As presented at the November 21 public meeting, a municipal water supply from the Airport Water System was carried forward for further evaluation. Maintaining private wells was also an option that is carried forward for further evaluation.

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure Services

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    I received your flyer about this topic. It is very evident that David Bailey (as witnessed during the recent election) and Doug Ford intend to build houses everywhere that they can, and your intent is to turn Burford into a mini-Paris. This now includes removing a large portion of the Green Belt. In a true democracy, the affected people should have a say in what you are going to do. There are many people including lots of elderly who are not able to voice their opinions, virtually. So, I have 2 questions before, our great little town is Paris Part 2.0: 1. In our democracy, is each affected household going to be allowed to vote on the plan, or are we just going to be railroaded into the development? 2. Once we are forced into water and sewage, how much per household and who pays? I for one am quite comfortable drinking my well water as I have for 38 years with no ill effects as well as having my septic system pumped every 3 years for $300. So, if you are truly interested in citizen's opinions, mark my household down for Option # 1.

    Barry Banks asked over 1 year ago

    Thank you for your comments on the Burford Master Plan. The study will follow the Municipal Class Environment Assessment process which includes several opportunities for public consultation. County staff and Council are interested in engaging with the affected community and we invite participation and feedback. Evaluation of the various alternatives will consider technical aspects, environmental impacts, economic impacts, social impacts. Feedback from the affected residents, business owners and other stakeholders will help the County evaluate the available options to determine the most preferred solutions for the community. High level costs for the water, wastewater and drainage alternatives were presented at the November 21, 2022 public meeting but these will need to be evaluated further as the study progresses. The next public meeting will include more information about the costs for the various alternatives.

    M. Eby, P. Eng.

    Director of Infrastructure Services

Page last updated: 23 Aug 2023, 08:22 AM