By Jamie Mason, Vice President of Solution Engineering, Miranda Water Technologies
Water and wastewater infrastructure in Ontario is entering a period of significant transformation, reflecting broader challenges facing communities globally. Aging systems, rising servicing costs, and urgent housing pressures have created a level of demand that traditional approaches can no longer meet on their own. Recent legislative changes through Bill 60, officially titled the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, combined with ambitious housing requirements across Eastern Ontario, highlight a clear reality. The province needs new approaches to service delivery if it hopes to support the growth communities require.
Across this evolving landscape, decentralized wastewater solutions are becoming essential for municipalities and developers that need capacity quickly, sustainably, and cost-effectively. Drawing on more than 20 years of engineering experience, Jamie Mason, Vice President of Solution Engineering at Miranda Water Technologies, explains why modular and decentralized systems are emerging as one of the most financially responsible and resilient approaches available today.
Ontario’s Water Governance Is Changing, and Wastewater Infrastructure Strategies Must Adapt
The passage of Bill 60 represents an important evolution in Ontario’s approach to water and wastewater governance. Among its provisions, the Act introduces the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025. This new framework allows the Province to designate corporate entities to deliver municipal water and wastewater services. The legislation has generated extensive discussion among municipalities, industry stakeholders, and public-interest organizations regarding accountability, financial oversight, and the future structure of service delivery.
Regardless of interpretation, one message stands out. Ontario is recognizing the severity of its infrastructure deficit. Traditional centralized systems are increasingly expensive, slow to expand, and difficult to scale. Aging assets and rising demand are placing pressure on communities throughout the province. Municipalities must explore new service models that allow growth to proceed without relying solely on large, multi-year capital projects.
Decentralized and modular systems offer a scalable and financially responsible alternative that aligns infrastructure expansion with real growth. By keeping treatment capacity close to the developments they serve, communities retain stronger local control, reduce exposure to future rate structures established by external entities, and avoid the long-term financial burden associated with oversized centralized expansions.
Eastern Ontario’s Housing Crisis Shows That Infrastructure Capacity Is the Primary Barrier
At the 2025 Eastern Ontario Housing Summit, the Eastern Ontario Home Builders Association (EOHBA) emphasized that the region will require more than 670,000 new homes over the next 25 years. The challenge is not a lack of land or delays in planning approvals. In many communities, the single greatest barrier is insufficient capacity for water and wastewater services.
Smaller municipalities often lack systems that can be expanded. Larger municipalities face aging infrastructure and multi-year capital requirements before new capacity is available. Traditional servicing approaches cannot keep pace with the timelines needed to address housing demand.
Decentralized treatment models help address this constraint by enabling development to secure treatment capacity independently of municipal trunk infrastructure.
How Decentralized Treatment Helps Remove Infrastructure Constraints
In practical terms, decentralized treatment enables the following:
• Unlocks new lands for development
• Supports higher-density housing where municipal capacity is limited
• Eliminates reliance on long-term municipal capital plans
• Aligns infrastructure delivery with actual construction timelines
• Reduces financial pressure on municipalities
EOHBA’s message is clear. Servicing models must adapt if the region hopes to meet its housing needs.
A More Intelligent Financial Approach to Infrastructure Planning
Centralized wastewater plants are typically constructed long before the communities they serve reach full buildout. This results in tens of millions of dollars in upfront investment for capacity that often remains underused for many years. For example, a $50 million centralized upgrade designed for 3,000 homes represents a substantial long-term financial commitment.
Miranda Water Technologies offers a practical alternative to traditional centralized systems through its modular decentralized wastewater treatment solution, the Miracell® Rotating Biological Contactor system. Miracell® is engineered to expand in stages, increasing treatment capacity as communities grow. This staged growth model allows municipalities and developers to align infrastructure investment with actual demand, significantly reducing upfront capital requirements and limiting the need for major civil construction.
Miracell® supports this model through low energy consumption, minimal labour requirements, and consistent treatment performance. Its modular design allows additional capacity to be added efficiently, strengthening both the financial and operational value of decentralized treatment for municipalities seeking predictable lifecycle costs and reliable year-round performance.
Capital Efficiency That Cuts Per-Home Cost in Half
Using the Brighton, Ontario model referenced in the original analysis:
• A centralized $50 million system results in approximately $16,700 per home.
• A decentralized system that requires roughly half the capital reduces this to approximately $8,300 per home.
These savings allow communities to direct more resources toward housing, infrastructure improvements, and community services rather than tying up capital in underutilized treatment facilities.
Additional Savings in Operations, Labour, and Piping Infrastructure
Decentralized systems also reduce operational and labour costs. Miranda’s technologies require less energy, less specialized operator expertise, and less maintenance than traditional extended aeration plants. Standardized components further reduce operational expenditures and simplify long-term management.
Another major financial advantage comes from eliminating the need for extensive piping infrastructure. Conveyance lines designed to transport wastewater to centralized plants can cost between $600 and $1,000 per metre, not including road reconstruction. Growing communities often require additional upgrades to support increased flow.
By placing treatment facilities closer to the developments they serve, decentralized systems avoid the significant civil works required by centralized systems. Infrastructure can be installed on undeveloped or lightly developed land, reducing costs, avoiding road disruption, and accelerating construction timelines.
Accelerated Payback and Long-Term Financial Strength
A typical wastewater fee of $2.50 per cubic metre, combined with an average household flow of 1.2 cubic metres per day, means that a development of 3,000 homes generates more than 1.3 million cubic metres of wastewater annually. This equates to approximately $3.28 million in revenue or avoided treatment costs per year.
With half the capital requirement and half the operational cost of a centralized system, decentralized models achieve payback significantly faster and provide positive financial returns early in their operational life.
A Practical and More Resilient Path for Ontario Communities
When capital savings, operational efficiencies, reduced civil infrastructure costs, and accelerated revenue recovery are considered together, decentralized systems present an economically responsible and scalable alternative for municipalities and developers. This model supports the pace of housing construction, strengthens financial resilience, and aligns treatment capacity with real-world growth.
As Ontario continues to navigate changes in governance, rapid housing needs, and aging infrastructure, the advantages of modular, decentralized treatment will become increasingly important. Guided by the expertise of Jamie Mason, Miranda Water Technologies remains committed to helping communities adopt sustainable and economically strategic wastewater solutions that support long-term growth.
Next Steps for Municipalities and Developers
To learn how decentralized treatment solutions such as Miracell® can help your community expand servicing capacity, reduce infrastructure costs, and support responsible growth, connect with the team at Miranda Water Technologies. Our engineering and solutions experts are available to help municipalities, developers, and organizations evaluate decentralized options that align with long-term planning objectives.