OTTAWA — Kanata South Councillor Peggy Feltmate says some Glen Cairn residents were demoralized when sewage shot into their homes at the end of October, just months after they were ravaged by flooding this past summer.
Sewer cleaning work led to “blowbacks,” surges of air pressure that caused water and sewage to spew from the plumbing system inside at least three homes a few weeks ago. Feltmate said the residents reported blowbacks, but others had been affected in the past without filing complaints.
She said all people living in an area where blowbacks had been reported should be notified about sewer cleaning in advance so they can prepare for and minimize potential damage.
“It’s a very sensitive issue for the residents in Glen Cairn and, as such, certainly in that area, if not in the whole city, there needs to be some special attention and people need to be prepared ahead of time,” Feltmate said.
“It’s yucky and it’s demoralizing for people.”
The city receives about 55 complaints per year about sewer cleaning, and it’s believed most, if not all, are related to blowbacks.
There’s no way to stop all of the damage, but Feltmate said residents, if warned, could lessen the effects by covering and weighing down toilet lids or drains.
“With that notice, people are protected,” Feltmate said.
She is concerned, however, about the $270,000 per year that city staff have said a widespread notification protocol would cost.
The planning and environment committee will discuss the issue today.
Glen Cairn resident Janice Bertrand said feces spewed onto her basement bathroom’s walls and ceiling on Oct. 28, months after her home and hundreds of others flooded during an intense rainstorm in July.
Another neighbour discovered a similar sewage problem after coming home from work, Bertrand said.
“We’re just getting back on our feet, putting everything together at our own expense, and a few months later, the city showers it with feces,” she said.
Bertrand said that city staff told her family they could hire a company or clean it themselves before filing a claim that may or may not be reimbursed.
They ended up cleaning it themselves since they were still recovering from the flooding in July and had no sewer backup insurance coverage because of claims made after flooding in a previous year, Bertrand said.
Residents who complain about blowbacks are added to a list of almost 1,600 homes where crews take special precautions and issue warnings before a cleaning.
Feltmate wants notification to all residents in an area known to have problems.
The staff report that will go before the committee today estimates that 2,000 locations, each with 40 homes, would need to be warned a few days before sewer cleaning. The report sets out a $270,000 cost and says the notification protocol would require the equivalent of 3.5 employees, along with two vehicles and printed material.
Feltmate said she believed an e-mail list could make notification cheaper.
“I’m having trouble understanding why it would be so expensive,” she said.
Even if other councillors don’t see blowbacks as a major issue and reject a city-wide notification, Feltmate said she wanted Glen Cairn residents to be told in advance about sewer cleaning until the area’s flooding and sewer backup troubles were fixed “because of the sensitivities in that neighbourhood and the kind of experiences that they’ve had.”
The city has 2,700 kilometres of sanitary pipes connected to about 200,000 buildings. Crews clean an average of about 800 kilometres of pipes each year.
© Copyright © The Ottawa Citizen