Sewage treatment plant repairs keep Thunder Bay in state of emergency

More than a year since the devastating rainstorm, Thunder Bay is still officially in a state of emergency — and the designation is expected to continue for two more years.

While it may not appear as if the city is in a state of emergency, the label is for the work being done underground at the Atlantic Avenue sewage treatment plant.

The city's manager of infrastructure and operations said the term is more of a technical one for funding and insurance purposes, and to keep the same contractor on site.

Contractor Venshore Mechanical has been rebuilding the plant. Venshore has been working at the facility since the flood happened.

"They were assigned a lot of duties and repairs that were associated with getting the plant up and running," Darrell Matson said. "[They were not assigned with] the actual reconstruction of the facility."

Matson noted there’s still $26 million worth of work to get done — including work on the electrical system, instrumentation and computers in the plant.

Until that work is completed — and there's the possibility for equipment to malfunction — the state of emergency will continue.

"So Venshore Mechanical has remained on site," Matson said.

"They've assumed the role of the general contractor and, as a result, we want to formalize that in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and formalize an agreement with them so they remain as the general contractor on site for the remainder of the repairs."

The cost of fixing the plant is $36 million, with the total cost of the rainstorm coming in at $43.9 million.