Not a moment too soon, the Grand Bend Area Sewage Treatment Board has finally agreed in principle on a sewage plant that has been discussed for years.

While it’s not a done deal yet, the board met last week and was at last able to come to an agreement on what size of plant should be built, an issue that has been a sticking point between the three municipalities involved in the major project ? Lambton Shores, South Huron and Bluewater.

As previously reported, Lambton Shores wanted the larger of the two options proposed ? a  $26.6 million double train sewage plant. South Huron was adamant that it would not agree to that option and pressed for the smaller single train sewage plant, at about $21.4 million. South Huron argued the larger plant was unnecessary and too costly, while Lambton Shores said the smaller plant was inadequate for their needs.

And then there was Bluewater, who first agreed with South Huron, then agreed with Lambton Shores, then announced it was withdrawing from the project.

South Huron then also announced it was withdrawing from the project, leaving Lambton Shores as the only municipality committed to the plant.

Things looked bleak for a while (or good, depending on your point of view), but as part of the agreement both Bluewater and South Huron were able to rejoin the project at any time over the next 10 years and kept representation on the board.

And there was that matter of an approximately $15 million grant towards the project. How do you walk away from that if you’re a small municipality?

The answer is you don’t and the three municipalities have continued to talk, with South Huron finally getting its wish for the cheaper single train option, with the agreement that the plant be expanded when use exceeds 80 per cent of its capacity.

The board approved that and several other recommendations at a meeting last week in Thedford.

There are still some rather significant details to be worked out, and things need to be formalized in legal documents. In addition, the three municipal councils have to give their own approval, and there’s the small detail of a Jan. 31 deadline, but it looks like after years of talks the project will go ahead.

There is still much opposition to the project, particularly from a Grand Bend area group, and that isn’t likely to change. But the chances of the project being scrapped with so much grant money on the table and so much time, money and resources already spent on the project were slim at best.