Tiny Septic Situation

This is an excerpt from a letter presented to council at the Jan 7th meeting this year. Until 2023, Midland accepted Tiny’s septage in the winter (when it could not be spread on frozen fields). In 2023, faced with major issues at the treatment plant, Midland declared it could not accept any septage from Tiny. Tiny Township now has a historic opportunity to solve this problem once and for all and dramatically improve the water quality of the creeks of Tiny Township and Georgian Bay. The Ontario government is trying to phase out land application of septage so Midland has received a $30 million grant from the province and this past February Tiny received a grant of $3.6 million for the refurbishment of the Midland water treatment plant. There is still an estimated shortfall of $1.34 million and, as one of the main users of the Midland plant, Tiny has agreed in principle to make 3 annual payments of $335,000 to make up the remainder. Tiny’s 2025 budget includes the first payment but this investment needs to guarantee the right of Tiny to send its septage to the Midland plant year round. The final deal between Midland and Tiny must include a provision to ensure that ALL of Tiny’s septage waste will be treated by the refurbished plant, not just that collected in the winter. For the health of all Tiny residents, summer spreading of sewage in Tiny must end with the new plant.