Construction is roughly halfway complete on a state-of-the-art wastewater facility to process waste exclusively for the Great Blue Heron Charitable Casino and Bingo on Scugog Island.

Scugog Island is partially surrounded by Lake Scugog and is located near Port Perry, about 45 kilometres southwest of Peterborough. The casino and land on which it is built are owned by the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Only a few people live in the actual First Nation community, but the popular tourist destination is set to expand, with potential plans to build hotel accommodations in the vicinity of the casino. The wastewater facility is designed to meet the needs of future development.

The term "island" is a misnomer-the area is joined to the mainland by a large causeway to the south. Because the casino is located on First Nation territory, the application of some regulations around such a project is often open to interpretation. To allay any concerns about the new facility, the project was subjected to an environmental assessment and the Mississaugas' Chief, Tracy Gauthier, committed to meeting and exceeding all provincial and federal design and building standards that might apply.

CH2M Hill Canada was contracted to design the wastewater treatment plant, while PEAK Engineering & Construction Ltd. of Brighton, Ontario was engaged to build the $ 8.6-million facility-a building and outdoor tankage-on a two-hectare site near the casino.

"They currently have no onsite treatment," says Theo Brunsting, Project Manager with PEAK. "The project is designed to treat the wastewater from the casino, and any future hotel development. The plant is not overly large, since it isn't treating wastewater from any of the surrounding communities, but it uses state-of-the-art membrane technology. It also has a provision for returning grey water for use in the casino complex. "Although the Mississaugas are the client for the wastewater facility, cost will be shared by some of the partners in the casino, including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, which manages the casino slot machines.