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Ottawa Citizen September 24, 2010
For much of Ottawa’s history, the residents haven’t cared much about the health of our magnificent rivers. The routine spilling of sewage into the Ottawa River summed up the general attitude.
The neglect extended to the Gatineau, the Rideau and the Rideau Canal. These waterways have been all but ignored. Between the Des Chenes Rapids and downtown Ottawa, there is only one “people place” on the Ottawa River — Westboro Beach. The rest is empty shoreline and mostly National Capital Commission driveways.
Had residents been more actively engaged with the waterfront, then maybe they wouldn’t have been so nonchalant all those years about the sewage spills. True, such foulings aren’t unusual in cities that sit on big rivers — sewers and treatment facilities simply get overwhelmed, causing waste to pour into the river. In Ottawa, though, human and equipment errors made matters worse.
In one notorious instance back in 2006, faulty equipment caused the release of about one billion litres of sewage in the river. The spill was not reported to the province for two years, resulting in a $562,000 fine. It was only then that citizens started to take notice.
It’s encouraging to realize, however, that when the city sets its mind to something, change happens. The city decided to tackle the sewage problem, and approved a giant underground storage system that will eliminate most storm-related sewage outflows. Amazingly, the provincial environmental commissioner is now hailing Ottawa as an emerging leader in this area.
This is a great leap forward by North American standards. Of course, the best solution is to separate storm and sanitary pipes, but that will take decades and billions of dollars. The storage system is a smart interim measure.
The city stepped up and is working to make our rivers cleaner, to our shared benefit.
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