Located at 130 The Queensway on 41 hectares of land, the Humber Treatment Plant is the City’s second largest wastewater treatment plant. The plant serves about 662,000 people and can treat up to 473 million litres of wastewater a day.
The plant began operating in 1960.
The plant provides complete wastewater treatment, which includes:
Learn more about how we collect and treat wastewater.
Humber Treatment Plant is continuing with its major infrastructure improvement program. Major projects include:
Continued planning and design work is ongoing for many long-term projects that are scheduled up to 2031, representing long-term investment in protecting public health and Lake Ontario.
Odours or unpleasant smells near wastewater treatment plants are common and typically short-lived. Local and major sewers can also cause similar temporary odours. Weather conditions, including wind direction, temperature and humidity can make normal treatment-related odours more noticeable at times.
Report an unpleasant smell or odour that you suspect is coming from a wastewater treatment plant.
All odour complaints are taken seriously and will be investigated by staff. Identifying the source can be complex, as conditions may change between the time an odour is reported and when staff are able to complete a site investigation.
During heavy rain and snow melt, the volume of stormwater can overwhelm the capacity of the plant’s secondary treatment process (biological treatment using microorganisms).
A bypass is when the plant diverts wastewater around the secondary treatment process. The wastewater still goes through all other treatment processes to ensure treated water always meets federal and provincial regulations.
Visit Wastewater Treatment Plant Bypass Reports for lists of bypasses at Humber Treatment Plant.