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WHAT happens to WASTE after it DISAPPEARS down the DRAIN? Appearances can often be deceiving. Take the Port Perry sewage pumping station, for example. The building itself is the picture of “non-descript,” alow and windowless red brick structure without signage or ornamentation. Though it sits in a highly visible spot — on the east side of Water Street, just south of the roundabout - it neither draws nor demands the atten- tion of passersby. Inside, the space is compact, filled but not cramped, well-lit but not bright. Without knowing the answer, a newcomer could only guess its purpose, though hints abound. At street-level, an enormous diesel generator dominates the room, with a variety of monitoring devices (whose labelling and visible read- outs suggest their role) occupying the periphery. A desk - the kind made for stand-up work rather than long-term occupation — is perhaps the only indicator that people spend time here. Please turn to page 8 Photo at left: Durham Region Works Department employees MacKenzie Campbell of Seagrave, left, and Maintenance Operator Jeff Balser, of Blackstock, are seen work- ing 30 feet below the the gi id at Port Perry's . The pumping station (above) is located on Water St., in the small, rectangular brick building, adjacent to the Port Perry Marina property. Photos by J. Peter Hvidsten FOCUS - OCTOBER 2014 7