A few residents are weighing in on an ongoing proposal for a municipal transformer project in Piperville.

Residents of Piperville Road at Farmers Way in Carlsbad Springs were informed in the spring that Hydro Ottawa was conducting soil tests to see if a parcel of land which it purchased would be suitable for a municipal transformer station. Hydro Ottawa recently confirmed that it still plans to put a transfomer there.

Nearby resident Raynald Lavigne told CJRO that after the community met with the proponents earlier this year, he has had fewer concerns. His property is situated on one side of the large electrical transmission towers and lines which run from Ottawa to Cornwall, and the Hydro Ottawa property is on the other side. Proximity to the transmission lines was one of the reasons for placement of the transformer.

Hydro Ottawa said it did not have time for an interview but provided CJRO with a statement. It confirmed its intention to construct a new 27.6 kilovolt municipal transformer station at the intersection of Piperville Road and Farmers Way on the four-acre parcel. The station will connect to Hydro One's existing 230 kilovolt transmission line. Hydro said a draft Environmental Study Report, including a noise study, will be shared soon for public review and comment, followed by a second community information session to discuss its findings. Hydro said electric utilities have municipal transformer stations in neighbourhoods across their service territories, and they are commonplace and generally do not cause noise concerns. Buffers and tree screening will be incorporated into the design. The Piperville transformer serves the entire southeast Ottawa region. Its purpose is to eliminate overloading conditions on the existing transformer stations and improve reliability, then support projected growth in the coming years. The existing Hydro Ottawa stations in the area don't have the capacity to supply anticipated future demand.