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The legacy of the summer of 2006 continues to plague Ottawa’s east end. With no firm answers as to why Petrie Island closed for a record number of days that year due to high E. coli counts, health officials are left with only best guesses while councillors grapple with a pricey beach they might find themselves forced to close due to health concerns.
At least, that seems to be the sentiment expressed lately.
Petrie gained infamy when E. coli counts forced the city to issue no-swim advisories 45 times. While it is the only summer the beach saw such numbers since it officially opened, that season seems to have damaged the reputation of Ottawa’s newest beach forever. It brought into question the city’s decision to open a beach downstream from treatment plants. Was it a political decision lacking in judgement – a means to appease a growing population in one of Ottawa’s suburbs – or was that summer just an unforeseen anomaly?
In August of 2006, during the infamous swim season that saw Petrie likened to a toilet, this newspaper reported one possible culprit: combined sewers. At the time, Meredith Brown, executive director of the Ottawa Riverkeeper citizen’s group, said the combined sewers along with heavy rainfall were likely responsible for Petrie’s woes. It is the same culprit an Environment Canada report highlights, but stops short of blaming.
When there’s a heavy rainfall and volumes in the sanitation system are high, storm water and sewage in Ottawa’s combined system drains directly into the river without being treated. Beach closures, Brown suggested, are correlated to rainfall.
Just last week, councillors were told the summer of 2006 was wetter than usual while 2007, which saw far fewer no-swim days, was dryer. The answer seems to be staring the city in the face.
The real question now is what is the city going to do? Further study to find, definitively, the cause of pollution at the beach is necessary, but that doesn’t mean councillors should wait before taking action.
Even if dumping raw sewage from the city centre during heavy rainfalls isn’t the only culprit, that practice simply can’t be good for the long-term health of the waterway. Treating the river like a communal toilet will only lead to greater problems. With a push for intensification in the core, the problem is likely only going to get worse as more homes hook up to the existing system.
It is long past time for the city to implement change for the sake of its citizens. It won’t be cheap and there will undoubtedly be the usual finger-pointing between levels of government, but there should be no delay when it comes to upgrading the system. Our health depends on it.
The Orleans Star