The East River Environmental Control Centre(ERECC) serves the Towns of Westville, Stellarton, New Glasgow and Trenton as well as a number of adjacent urbanized areas in the Municipality of the County of Pictou. The system includes a central sewage treatment plant, approximately 16 km of sewer lines and 17 pumping stations and about 6 km of pressure sewers. The treatment plant is located on the east bank of the East River near the Trenton/New Glasgow town boundary. The plant was constructed in the early 1970's and has been upgraded in the 1990's. The Pictou County District Planning Commission operates and maintains the system through the Regional Services District 2 (RSD2) Committee, which consists of the mayor/warden and one councilor from each of the five municipal units.

Unit Processes within the treatment facility include grit extraction, screening, aeration, secondary clarification, and effluent disinfection using chlorine. All flows up to 25m³/min receive full secondary treatment through this process train. Flows in excess of 25 m³/min receive only primary clarification prior to disinfection. Primary and waste activated biosolids generated in the treatment process are aerobically digested and subsequently dewatered using solid bowl centrifuges. Dewatered biosolids are subsurface injected on agricultural land in the surrounding area.