STRATFORD – The City of Stratford has plans to turn waste into natural gas, but some residents are turning their noses up at the idea, citing concerns about the proposed facility.
A water plant in a residential area is the subject of debate as the city considers expanding the facility to include organic waste.
But some residents say that if council approves the renewable gas plant, it will ruin their quality of life.
"The pollution level, the noise level, the traffic will affect us because we only have one street to walk on," says Kelly Anderson, who lives at a seniors' residence on West Gore Road.
"This is not the place to put it."
The proposed natural gas facility would see an extra 16 waste trucks come in and out of the plant on a daily basis in an effort to divert organic waste from the landfill and convert it instead to natural gas.
"We will produce methane, which we're doing right now, taking that methane we're producing, cleaning it up and injecting it into the natural gas distribution system," says director of infrastructure Ed Dujlovic.
"This would supplement the natural gas that is being pumped from the ground now."
The city says that the smell won't be any worse than that coming from the water treatment plant already.
Instead, it's trying to utilize facilities that are already in place.
"They've asked, 'Why aren't you building something somewhere else?'" Dujlovic says.
"Well, we're trying to take advantage of the existing infrastructure."'
The city is holding public information meetings to get residents' feedback on the proposal.
If approved, the plant expansion would be completed in about a year.
