Overview
The Town of Old Perlican wastewater treatment plant in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, provides secondary treatment for a small coastal community of 445 residents. It discharges treated effluent near the Atlantic coast.
The Town of Old Perlican wastewater treatment plant serves the small coastal community of Old Perlican in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With a population served of 445, it is a small-scale municipal facility operating under provincial and federal regulations. The plant provides secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment process for removing organic matter and suspended solids. As a small agglomeration, it meets the typical treatment requirements for communities of this size in Canada, where secondary treatment is widely mandated for municipal wastewater. The treated effluent is discharged into the local environment near the Atlantic Ocean. Old Perlican is located on the eastern coast of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, and the plant's discharge ultimately reaches the North Atlantic. The surrounding coastal waters support diverse marine life, including fish stocks and seabird populations, making proper treatment essential for protecting the local ecosystem.
Environmental context
The plant discharges treated wastewater into the coastal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean near Old Perlican. The Avalon Peninsula's coastline features rocky shores and cold, nutrient-rich waters that support fisheries and marine biodiversity. The receiving environment is ecologically sensitive, with habitats for species such as Atlantic cod, capelin, and various seabirds. Proper wastewater treatment helps maintain water quality in this productive marine ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
The plant is located in Old Perlican, a small town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It serves the local community with municipal wastewater treatment.
The plant serves a population of 445 residents, making it a small-scale municipal facility designed for a rural coastal community.
The plant provides secondary treatment, a biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids from wastewater before discharge.
In Canada, wastewater treatment is regulated federally under the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) and provincially by the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Climate Change. These regulations set effluent quality standards for parameters like carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and ammonia.
Small communities like Old Perlican often use secondary treatment systems, such as aerated lagoons or mechanical plants, to meet federal and provincial effluent standards. These systems are cost-effective for low population densities while protecting receiving waters.
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