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Rain last Wednesday and Sunday sent a combined 63 million litres of mixed sewage and rainwater into the Ottawa River, according to a memo from the head of the city’s environmental-services division.
Dixon Weir wrote to councillors to inform them of the two overflows, which occur when rain overwhelms sewer pipes in the older parts of Ottawa. Newer parts of the sewage system separate stormwater from household waste; in older parts of town the two functions are merged, and when too much water runs into the pipes they overflow into the river to prevent backups into homes and on to roads.
All the appropriate authorities have been informed of the overflows, Weir’s memo says.
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