York Durham Sewage System Forcemain Twinning Project

The York Durham Sewage System was originally built in the 1980’s as a single wastewater forcemain by the Province of Ontario and transferred to York Region in the 1990’s. Wastewater servicing in the Town of Newmarket is provided by local sewers that connect to the York Durham Sewage System owned by York Region. The York Durham Sewage System is a network of sewers, sewage pumping stations and forcemains that moves wastewater for treatment to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in the City of Pickering.

A forcemain is a pressurized sewer pipe. In York Region, there are two ways wastewater moves through our sewer systems:

• Forcemain sewer – a pressurized sewer pipe powered by pumping stations. Forcemains are used to move wastewater when a gravity sewer is not an option.
• Gravity sewer – a sewer pipe that uses the force of gravity to move wastewater

Construction will begin in spring 2019 and is expected to take approximately three years to complete.

The new forcemain begins at the Newmarket Sewage Pumping Station, located at 380 Bayview Parkway in the Town of Newmarket and travels 5.2 kilometres south, through downtown Newmarket, ending just north of the Aurora Sewage Pumping Station.

The new Bogart Creek forcemain will consist of 530 metres of forcemain installed between the Fairy Lake work area, across Prospect Street, to York Region’s Bogart Creek Sewage Pumping Station.

To reduce the impact of construction on the community, approximately 5.2 kilometers of the project will be completed using a trenchless technology referred to as microtunnelling.

A machine will create tunnels underground, installing the forcemain pipe approximately 10 meters below the surface. The microtunnelling machine will run continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure timely completion of the project.

Cane Parkway

Cane Parkway will remain open during the Forcemain Twinning work, with lane restrictions between Lorne Avenue and William Roe Boulevard in the Town of Newmarket. On-street parking will not be available and there will be additional truck traffic along Cane Parkway as trucks access and exit the work site. Trucks will turnaround at Lorne Avenue and Cane Parkway.  The Forcemain work site located on Cane Parkway, will have a three-metre fence surrounding it for safety and to reduce the dust and noise.

Parades and Events on Cane Parkway

The Forcemain construction work will not impact any parades or events. The Town of Newmarket will be coordinating the route and staging area with events and parade coordinators who have previously used Cane Parkway. The trail and bicycle path along this section of Cana Parkway will remain open. We encourage you to enjoy the extensive network of trails in the Town of Newmarket.

Construction Traffic

The construction trucks that are part of the Forcemain Twinning project will only use the approved trucking routes. The project team and the contractor will monitor the drivers closely to ensure the trucks are following the approved trucking routes; however you may still see truck traffic on subdivision roads which are part of other construction projects in town. View the trucking routes for each worksite.

Sidewalk/Trail Closures

Sidewalk and trail closures will be avoided as much as possible, however in order to safely complete the work, periodically sidewalks will need to be closed. Directional signage will be put up to help guide pedestrians and cyclist around the sidewalk or trail closure.

Safety is a priority for York Region; please slow down when travelling through the Forcemain Twinning Project construction areas.

ClEan Streets – Managing Dust and Mud

York Region has instructed the contactor to keep the approved trucking routes clean and minimize tracking mud on the roads. The contractor will sweep and clean the trucking routes as required.

Why were trees removed at Queen Street and Charles Streets?

Trees were removed at the northwest corner of Queen and Charles Streets as part of the site preparation. We love our York Region trees and are lucky to have natural places and woodlots as part of our community.  During the planning phase of the Forcemain Twinning project, the project team, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, the Town of Newmarket and professional arborist’s carefully evaluated the local waterways, woodlots, trees and shrubs at each work site.

At the Queen Street and Charles Street work site it was determined that due to possible impacts with the microtunnelling machine and to accommodate the shaft installation, 34 trees would have to be removed. The remaining trees around the work area will be fenced, protected and monitored regularly. The tree removal is done outside of the birds nesting season.  When the forcemain work is completed, the woodlot will be restored, and 79 replacement trees and 20 shrubs will be planted.

Madsen Greenhouse Worksite Preparation and Tree Removal – July 8-10, 2019

As part of the worksite preparation, 13 trees will be removed at Madsen’s Greenhouse located on Bayview Parkway. The tree removal is done outside of the general bird nesting season and the remaining trees in the area and along the Tom Taylor Trail will be fenced, protected and monitored. When the project is completed, 63 trees and 150 shrubs that are native to the Newmarket area will be planted at the Madsen Greenhouse worksite.

Overall York Region is planting about four trees to every one tree we have to remove. The size of the replacement trees are about 8-10 feet tall, and the tree trunks are 60 millimeters in diameter. At the Madsen Greenhouse site, nine different species of trees including the Sugar Maple, White Fir and Red Osier Dogwood shrub will be replanted when the Forcemain Twinning Project is completed.

For safety reasons, a small portion of the Tom Taylor Trail will be closed for a short time to ensure the trees are taken down safely.  York Region staff and forestry experts will be on site during the tree removal to provide assistance and answer any questions.

Fairy Lake – July 2, 2019

The Fairy Lake construction site preparation, which is part of the Forcemain Twinning Project will begin on Tuesday, July 2, 2019.  The community will have full access to Fairy Lake park, trails and the parking lot during the construction of the forcemain. Construction activities will be limited to the work site, which will be surrounded by a three-metre fence to protect the public and reduce any disturbances. Staff will be on-site to assist with the movement of traffic, including trucks or other construction-related vehicles. The project team is working closely with the Town of Newmarket to mitigate any impact on events or outdoor activities at Fairy Lake while the forcemain work is happening.

When the forcemain is complete, the area will be restored and landscaped. Trees and shrubs that attract bees and butterflies will be planted.

Declaration Order

Declaration Order Condition Documents:

• Condition 4: Compliance Monitoring Program
• Condition 5:
  • 2023 Annual Compliance Monitoring Report
  • 2022 Annual Compliance Monitoring Report
  • 2021 Annual Compliance Monitoring Report
  • 2020 Annual Compliance Monitoring Report
  • 2019 Annual Compliance Monitoring Report
• Condition 6: Complaints Protocol

On March 7, 2018, the province issued a Declaration Order to exempt modifications to the York Durham Sewage System component of the Upper York Sewage Solutions project from the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act.