This is what the mysterious platform in Lake Ontario near Toronto is for

If you've ventured out to Woodbine Beach or the Leslie Street Spit this summer, then you may have noticed a large oil rig-like platform sitting in the middle of the water. 

According to a spokesperson for Ports Toronto, the platform is actually a jack up barge for the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Outfall (ABTPO). 

The ABTPO is a project to create a new 3,500 metre-long underwater tunnel intended to convey up to 3,923 megalitres per day of treated effluent from the ABTP into Lake Ontario.

In other words, it's a massive underwater tunnel to transport treated water that formerly contained human liquid waste (ew, I know) into the lake. 

Thankfully, the water is fully treated and disinfected and only then is it discharged into Lake Ontario. 

The barge in the water is one small part of this project and according to a spokesperson from Toronto Water, it's there to drill the risers that'll be part of the new outfall. 

According to Ports Toronto, the barge will remain in place until the end of October and it'll return once again next May. 

The project is expected to be completed in full by 2023.