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Provincial, federal investments ease Ottawa’s sewage burden
Money flowing into the city from the federal and provincial government over the past week will go a long way to stop the flow of raw sewage into the Ottawa River.
After sharing with the other two levels of government the the $30 million needed to replace faulty mechanical sewer regulators, the city is left with $70 million for other projects that city staff will identify over the course of the next few months in an attempt to slow the flow and spills of raw sewage into the historic waterway.
Last week, the province handed the city $77 million specifically for city infrastructure projects while this week, just days before an expected election call, federal Environment Minister John Baird said his government will give the city $33 million for such projects—$13 million more than it had previously announced.
A staff report identifying what to do with the $77 million is expected by December.
But Baird, like Premier Dalton McGuinty did last week, encouraged the city to use the money to fix its continuing sewer problems.
“To achieve a 65% reduction within two years is significant and with this new money we can complete this work more efficiently,” said Mayor Larry O’Brien.
Last spring, top city officials and councillors learned the city had dumped 1 billion litres of raw sewage into the Ottawa River for two weeks in August 2006 after a regulator malfunctioned, preventing a gate from shutting properly.
The city has since admitted to nine more spills and has been charged by the environment ministry.