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An Ottawa City Councillor is calling for a “mature” discussion on sewage overflows into the Ottawa River.
Rick Chiarelli tells CFRA’s Afternoon Edition it’s “unrealistic” to attempt to eliminate all sewage overflows from Ottawa’s sewer system into the Ottawa River, adding the $2.1 billion price tag is big.
The City of Ottawa and the upper levels of government are spending $100 million to reduce sewage overflows by 65 per cent.
Chiarelli says talk of completely eliminating all sewage overflows is so big, that’s it’s difficult to get people to support other measures the city is taking.
Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson is among politicians from the upper levels of government calling on the city to make sewage overflows a top priority.
Councillor Jan Harder says it’s “incredible” that a majority of Ottawa residents think the city is doing nothing.
Harder tells CFRA’s Afternoon Edition it appears the city is doing a “rotten” job informing the public about what it is doing to reduce sewage overflows.
The city said last week that the installation of Real Time Controls on sewer regulators will reduce sewage overflows by 55 per cent this fall.
More than 800-million litres of untreated water, including raw sewage, has overflowed Ottawa’s sewer systems into the river so far this year.
Chiarelli says it appears people have been living on a “myth” that sewage overflows started in 2006 when a sewer regulator was jammed open.
The Baseline Ward Councillor tells CFRA News the city can’t have an “intelligent” conversation about spills until people understand that the system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.