A waste management company has filed a lawsuit against the city of Charlottetown and a local contractor in connection to the refurbishment of a sewage treatment plant.
Pardy’s Waste Management and Industrial Services filed the lawsuit earlier this week in PEI Supreme Court, alleging that it ran into extra costs because the sludge it was contracted to dispose of was thicker than it had anticipated.
Charlottetown contractor WM & M and the city itself were named as defendants.
According to the statement of claim, Pardy’s Waste Management was contracted by WM & M to clean the primary and secondary digesters at the plant, located along Riverside Drive. The work included loading, hauling, and disposal of waste material in the form of sludge.
The sub-contractor claimed that its bid was based on a request for proposals that stated that the digesters contained liquid sludge consisting of somewhere between 1% and 15% solid matter.
When the time came for Pardy’s to pump the sludge, however, it was unable to do so. The company claimed it was because the sludge contained solids in excess of 15%.
The company stated that it advised WM & M that additional equipment and a change in the contract would be needed, and that WM & M agreed to billing on a “time and material” basis.
Pardy’s also claimed that it contracted an environmental consultant to analyze the sludge. The consultant’s testing revealed that the sludge contained 21% to 75% solids.
CBC News reported that Pardy’s is suing for $251,124.49, for additional costs it claims is still owed.
The sub-contractor also filed a mechanics’ lien on the property where the wastewater treatment plant is located.
As of courts records yesterday, the city of Charlottetown and WM & M had not been served with notice of the lawsuit.
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