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That’s not just because it’s been rainy, either. While the weather, for the most part, hasn’t been beach-friendly, it’s news of untreated sewage spewing into the river upstream that has swimmers avoiding Petrie Island.
News of the 2006 massive sewage spill and so-called negative publicity surrounding Petrie Island certainly hasn’t helped the reputation of Ottawa’s east-end beach, but even that isn’t the only culprit.
High E. coli counts and subsequent no-swim advisories this year as well as news that there have been at least two sewage spills upriver are keeping sun worshipers and those wishing to commune with mighty Neptune off the beaches.
It seems there was an overflow at the Kent Street regulator this past June 14. That malfunction poured roughly 10,000 cubic metres of sewage in the river. Despite recent assurances that checks and balances are now in place, councillors weren’t informed of the spill for over a month. It wasn’t until July 23 they were told about the malfunction, according to one east-end councillor.
While certainly an improvement to the two-year delay we saw previously, it’s rather disconcerting that it still took so long to notify those who, in theory, run the city. One city staffer suggests vacations led to the oversight. That seems to be a rather weak excuse. If staff were capable of informing almost all of the necessary powers that be, why did they fail to mention it to councillors? When is it ever okay to inform everyone but the boss when things get “screwed up?”
Then on July 19 another estimated 9,000 cubic metres of raw sewage spewed into the river. This one, at least, was quickly reported to councillors along with the usual suspects.
While both accidents are a far cry from the spill in 2006, it points to a troubling trend.
Orléans Coun. Bob Monette indicated he’s furious, although he’s pleased staff dealt with the situation quickly.
Well, Bob, chances are residents aren’t too pleased either, and they’re probably a little less forgiving when it comes to these malfunctions. Staff might be doing their utmost to fix the mechanical failures quickly, but these problems shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
If a corporation started sending untreated waste into the waterway, chances are there would be fines levied, a public outcry and, if the situation wasn’t soon fixed, calls for a boycott. Yet the city can continue to dump sewage in the river when the rains require it to bypass the treatment system, and it can apologize for malfunctions as though it were just one of those things that happen.
The hypocrisy is unacceptable. It’s time the city started investing in its infrastructure and its future before bigger spills and greater troubles plague the Ottawa River.
(C) Orleans Star