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The past week hasn’t been a good one for the Ottawa River, the city’s main source of drinking water.
Late last night councillors were notified of yet another spill into the river — this time 6,000 lbs. of Freon-22, commonly used in air conditioning units — that went unnoticed for 24 hours before the city was notified.
The environment ministry’s spills action centre contacted the city’s drinking water services at about 2 p.m. yesterday informing officials of the chemical entering the water from the federal government campus located at Tunney’s Pasture.
“An estimated 6,000 lbs. of Freon-22 was released beginning (Monday) noon until (yesterday) at approximately noon when it was discovered and shut down,” says a memo to councillors from Dixon Weir, director of Ottawa’s water and wastewater services department.
The city said residents shouldn’t worry about the quality of drinking water.
NO THREAT
“Based upon the characteristics and volume of the material released in combination with the current flow and temperature of the Ottawa River, the release of this material does not pose a health risk to drinking water produced at the Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant,” the memo says.
Not many details have come to light, but the public health department and ministry are working together to determine the impact of the spill.
Last week, the city reported two spills into the river: A 40,500-litre sewage spill caused by rain and melting snow, and another Feb. 27 when the city reported a small amount of petroleum hydrocarbons was released into the waterway.
Two weeks ago council was notified 96,100 litres of wastewater containing almost three times the allowable amount of suspended solids was discharged into the river. Again the city said there was no impact on the quality of drinking water.
Last fall the province fined the city $560,000 for its role in an August 2006 discharge that resulted in 1 billion litres of sewage spilling unnoticed for two weeks into the river.
Council learned of the spill one year later and fired three employees and suspended another for 20 days.
One of the employees terminated has been reinstated and will be back on the job Monday.