CAMBRIDGE -- A trailer dumping station at Churchill Park is staying open for now, following a petition from an RV owner and a decision at Cambridge city council's Tuesday night meeting.
More than 400 people have signed a petition to keep the only free trailer dumping site in the area open, citing environmental and illegal dumping concerns.
"We have all seen Christmas Vacation when Cousin Eddie is dumping his sewage down the storm sewer and that's what I really didn't want to see," said Shane Russell, an avid camper and RV owner who started the petition.
Council all voted in favour to keep the station open as they await another report considering other options.
"There's just not enough meat for us here to make a decision tonight," said Coun. Jan Ligget. "We don't know whether the region will be willing to do this or not."
The City of Cambridge's manager of wastewater said the site was originally installed in the 1970s for the campground area, but when the campground closed in 2015 it remained open for RV owners at no cost.
"There are five paid dumping stations available within Waterloo Region for RV owners. Given the updates required to convert this service as pay-per-use station, the recommendation is being made to either close it permanently or keep it open seasonally as a pay-per-use station," the manager of wastewater said in a statement.
Russell said he's worried RV owners will illegally dump into storm sewers, causing an environmental risk.
"We have been using this for the past 45 years and the service is paid for by our water rates, a third of our bill is for wastewater," he said. "Just like a lot of other municipalities in Ontario, if you look along the 401 east of Toronto, there are about four or five free dumping stations."
