Water resource recovery facilities

Wastewater is water that has been used in homes, schools, facilities and businesses. Activities such as flushing toilets, taking showers, doing laundry, or washing hands result in wastewater. This wastewater goes down the drain, then flows through underground pipes to be cleaned and treated at Peel's water resource recovery facilities.

Water resource recovery is a process that removes contaminants from wastewater or sewage and converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle with minimum impact on the environment.

Wastewater treatment facilities can emit odours because bacteria break down the waste in the water, and this natural process releases smells into the air. Peel Region monitors and reduces wastewater odours through advanced technology, regular inspections, quick response, and facility upgrades.

Learn more about the sanitary sewer system, including information on what not to flush or put down your drain.

Peel has some of the largest and smallest water resource recovery facilities in the country.

The Inglewood Water Resource Recovery Facility is an extremely small facility compared to its two sister facilities on Lake Ontario. Inglewood receives roughly 0.02% of Peel's total flow. Clarkson and G.E. Booth receive over 5000 times more sewage than their smaller sister facility.

Clarkson and G.E. Booth treat wastewater through conventional liquids treatment and biosolids management.

Inglewood treats wastewater through a comminutor (a machine that cuts up solids in raw sewage in preparation for purifying treatment), screens and biological treatment tanks.

Take a virtual tour of the water resource recovery facilities.