‘This closure is going to have a huge impact on Sturgeon Falls and the businesses in the community’

Seasonal campers at Dutrisac Cottages and Campground were given eviction notices Monday afternoon.

Campground owner Mike Stevens held an emergency meeting with his campers at the popular Sturgeon Falls park to inform them of the pending closure.

“My health is the No. 1 reason why I’ve decided to close the camp,” he told The Nugget Tuesday evening.

“I’m 62 years old and I’m not in good health. That helped me make the decision.”

Stevens, who has worked at the park for 49 years and inherited the site from the Dutrisac family, said he was recently told by the ministry that lagoons are no longer permitted for septic sewage.

“Three years ago, it was OK to use lagoon systems and I spent $80,000 to ensure it met all of the standards. But recently I have been informed that it’s no longer the case,” he said.

“I was given different options, but they all came to between $500,000 and $1.8 million.”

Stevens said he invested $1 million in the park over the past 10 years in hopes that someday he could sell it.

Read more here: www.nugget.ca/2017/08/09/this-closure-is-going-to-have-a-huge-impact-on-sturgeon-falls-and-the-businesses-in-the-community