Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
The Chair of the Planning and Environment Committee insists the city’s investments to reduce the flow of raw sewage into the Ottawa River is “paying off.”
Statistics from a seven-month control period in 2008 shows that 99.3 per cent of collected sewage in Ottawa reached the secondary treatment process.
Councillor Peter Hume says the installation of Real Time Control technology on five combined sewer overflow sites will produce “significant reductions” in combined sewer overflows into the river.
The city estimates the Real Time Control technology will reduce the volume of overflows discharged into the Ottawa River by 65 per cent a year.
An initial $139 million has been set aside over the next five years to address combined sewage overflow issues. Funding this year includes the installation of Real Time Controls and Critical Outfall Monitoring.
The city says the value of separation work on the sewage system to date is estimated at $750 million.
More than 300 million litres of raw sewage has overflowed the system and into the Ottawa River since the end of February.