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Safe clean drinking water for the future. Smiths Falls new state of the art water Treatment Plant was official opened Thursday afternoon. The 26.5 million dollar Abbott Street facility replaces the old plant which was commissioned in 1900. An Environmental study performed in 2003 concluded and recommended that the existing water plant be replaced with a new Water Treatment Plant located upstream of the old plant, which could reuse the existing intake.
Construction & commissioning was completed on the New WTP in early 2010.  The new WTP consists of an AquaDAF (which is a high rate dissolved air floatation clarifier), dual media filtration, and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, chlorination with chlorine gas, corrosion control, fluoridation, residue management & dechlorination. The new Aqua-Daf system is the only one of its kind in the province.Both the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario committed $8.9 million each towards this project through the Canada - Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund.Mayor, Dennis Staples said "The new Water Treatment Plant will serve the needs of the municipality of Smiths Falls for the next century and allow the town to grow and develop" 

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with last Sunday's break-in on Bell Avenue in Smiths Falls. Police report the resident was at home when the suspects used a crowbar to break into the home. The resident was order to remain in his bedroom by one of the accused while a second suspect searched the home. The suspects fled when the resident yelled for help. He was not injured. Two males age 25 and 28 and a 20 year old female were arrested. 

A woman was knocked unconscious Tuesday afternoon when she was thrown from a Jet Ski on Mississippi Lake about 20 km south of Carleton Place. Emergency crews were called to the scene on Cookes Shore Road on the north end of the lake around 3pm.  OPP said the woman was knocked unconscious but was lucky she only suffered minor injuries. Police are reminding people to wear life jackets when they venture out onto the water 

A man was killed by a Via train yesterday in Casselman. Russell County OPP says a male pedestrian was struck and killed by an Ottawa-bound VIA Passenger train just after 4 pm Wednesday. None of the passengers on the train were injured. Via Rail transported the passengers to Ottawa on buses.

A Perth man has been hit with a $3,000 fine for several hunting related offences. Andre Bergeron was convicted on five charges last week after he shot a nine-point buck from inside his car while driving along Lally Road near Murphy’s Point Provincial Park. Investigators from the province’s natural resources ministry responded to a complaint in November 2008 that Bergeron shot the animal then trespassed on private land to retrieve it. Bergeron is fined a total of $3,000, $600 for each of five offences. He also had his hunting license revoked for three years and must take a hunter safety course before his license is reinstated. 

Dignitaries will gather today for the official opening of the new Water Treatment Plant in Smiths Falls. The new plant on Abbott Street replaces the old facility which was almost 100 years old. The Provincial and Federal governments contributed $8.9 million each while the towns share was $8.6 million. The ceremony start at 1pm 

A notice on the town of Smiths Falls web site says that plants found in the town last week ,believed to be Giant Hogweeds, have now been identified as Queen Anne’s Lace. The revised notice, warns residents should continue to respect warning signs posted and stay away from the plants. Lanark County officials say they’ve received no reports of giant hogweed. But wild parsnip, like Queen Anne’s Lace, is also a much smaller plant and poses a similar burn hazard. Anyone who suffers burns from any of these noxious weeds should seek medical attention. 

Work on finial phase of the four-lane expansion of Highway 7 to Carleton Place is drawing closer. Yesterday officials held a news conference at a work site along the highway to announce the start of the finial phase of the project. Phase two of the widening to Jinkinson Road is expected to be completed later this year with the final stretch to McNeely Avenue in Carleton Place completed by late 2011. 

A 54-year-old man was reported to be in critical condition after he received burns to his head, neck and arms, while trying to remove a propane tank from a van Tuesday. The incident happened at the man’s home on Limebank Road near Manotick Station Road. Police report the man was using a torch to remove the tank from an older-model van when the gas inside ignited. He was getting the car ready to go to a wrecker.

The Upper Canada District School Board and CUPE reached what is being called a groundbreaking agreement ahead of this falls rollout of the new early learning program, or all-day, every-day kindergarten. The letter of agreement between CUPE and the local board is the first one signed by CUPE in Ontario to incorporate the deal, which was negotiated at the provincial level, Other boards across the province are expected to sign on to the framework. 

A word of caution from Senator Bob Runciman concerning plans by Bruce Power to ship nuclear material, from radioactive steam generators, to Sweden via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Runciman says while the Owen Sound-based utility's plan is economical and environmentally sensible, he is concerned that shipping the material could be especially dangerous in the narrow passages of the 1,000 Islands. Runciman also worries about lower water levels on the St. Lawrence River, pointing out that two ships have run aground in the past two weeks. About 90 per cent of the generator metal will be melted down in Sweden for reuse, while the rest will be shipped back to Canada and stored as low-level nuclear waste. 

The name of the man charged in Friday's wild chase that went all the way from Merrickville to Kingston has been released. Police say Charles Kloetstra of Tyendinaga was behind the wheel of a pick-up truck that left a trail of contraband cigarettes from Merrickville to where his vehicle rolled on the 401. The crash sent a female passenger to Kingston Hospital where she was treated and release. 

Police in Perth are searching for man after a gore street business had its window smashed. Around 2:30 Saturday morning, Police responded to a 911 call at a Gore Street business. Police report a customer became angry when the store clerk asked for proof of age prior to a purchase. The customer then fled the store smashing the front window on the way out. The suspect is described as a white male, with tattoos down his arm, he was wearing a dark coloured t-shirt and dark coloured cap. 

Smiths Falls Police took a man into custody over the weekend after finding him walking around the towns' water tower deck. The 46 year old male was seen walking around the top deck, listening to an i-pod around 4:15 Sunday morning. He had ignored No Trespassing signs and gotten passed a barbed wire fence. After being talked down by police he was arrested and charged with trespassing and public intoxication.

S-D and G OPP continue to investigate Monday night’s home invasion on County Road 28 in South Dundas Township. Around 11:30 Monday night two suspects forced their way into the Glen Becker Road home after the owners answered a knock on the front door. The husband and wife were forced into the kitchen, where they were guarded by a male suspect while another man searched for valuables. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of property. The homeowners sustained minor injuries. The female was transported to Winchester Memorial Hospital where she received treatment for her injuries and was released.