Sustainability

Elgin County has many valuable sectors which help to bring in people and businesses, but most importantly, these sectors help to sustain them. The notation of going green is definitely something Elgin County is becoming known for.

The following are examples of how Elgin County is helping to achieve sustainability within their community.

Water treatment facility

The new water treatment facility located in West Elgin is a very exciting addition to Elgin County. This facility features the use of innovative and sustainable water treatment.

The facility incorporates the use of a wetland, the only water treatment plant in Ontario to do so and replaces the need for a treatment facility by purifying waste water through a natural water system.

The plant has garnered interest from within the province as well as outside, particularly from communities in the U.S., because it incorporates an environmentally sustainable solution that costs about a tenth of the price of a traditional treatment system.

Erie Shores Wind Farm

The Erie Shores Wind Farm along the shoreline near the municipalities of Bayham and Malahide is the fourth-largest wind farm in Canada. The farm currently operates 66 turbines along 29 kms of shoreline, generating enough electricity to power 30,000 households annually, with plans for future expansion.

To find out more about the Erie Shores Wind Farm, check out the Aim Powergen web site.

Bio-Diesel

Another green initiative that is gaining in popularity is using vegetable oils, corn and sawdust to produce fuel.

Elgin County has been working hard in the innovative engineering of alternative energy, and are becoming known for bio-diesel, bio-oils and ethanol production around the world.