For those of us following the talks surrounding the proposed Grand Bend sewage treatment plant, it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride.

Mediation from the Ontario Municipal Board was required a couple of years ago when talks broke down between South Huron, Lambton Shores and Bluewater. An agreement was eventually struck between the three municipalities and the tri-municipal board has been meeting in earnest to work towards getting the project done.

However, as previously reported in the Times-Advocate, problems arose when the partners started disagreeing about what size of sewage plant they wanted. When tenders were requested, the board asked for prices on a so-called “phased-in” plant that could be expanded if and when that becomes necessary, or a “full build.” The difference in price was several million dollars, with the tender for the phased-in plant coming in at $18,561,345, while the price for the full build is projected to be $23,226,655.

South Huron has consistently been in favour of the cheaper, phased-in plant, arguing the extra capacity provided by the full build isn’t needed. Lambton Shores, on the other hand, has disagreed, arguing that they need the full build.

Bluewater, somewhat stuck in the middle, has kept everyone guessing, first passing a motion favouring the phased-in plant, then changing their minds and opting for the full build, then withdrawing from the project altogether.

At its Dec. 19 meeting, South Huron followed suit and withdrew.

In the midst of all of this has been a significant amount of public opposition to the project, particularly from the lakeshore area. Many have argued the project isn’t necessary and is too expensive, while questioning the type of sewage plant recommended by the engineer and chosen by the board.

Adding intrigue to the project is that the deadline for the three municipalities to announce their intentions in writing to the tri-municipal board is this Saturday. There is also a mult-million dollar two-thirds grant to keep in mind.

So is the project dead? With Bluewater and South Huron pulling out will Lambton Shores go ahead on their own? Can they and their taxpayers afford to? Or will some sort of compromise be reached at the eleventh hour? It’s possible Lambton Shores could back down from its full build stance and agree to the phased-in plant.

Because of Christmas, this week’s T-A had an earlier deadline than normal. As of last Friday, South Huron Mayor and tri-municipal board chairperson George Robertson said South Huron had not received a counter offer from Lambton Shores.

The clock is ticking and there are only a few days left for these municipalities to come to an agreement. At the very least they’ve kept things interesting for those of us observing.