A city infrastructure resident watchdog says rerouting the Carp River to widen a 4.3-kilometre section of Hazeldean Road between Stittsville and Kanata could be a flood threat.
City of Ottawa Engineer Ted Cooper said, “this project is the classic piecemealed environmental assessment project. To the north is the future Kanata West development area where the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) has issued an Order under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. To the south is the future Fernbank development area, lands that are under appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board because of its relaxed stormwater controls.”
The Carp River has recently been diverted as part of the plan to build a temporary construction road over the river to enable construction of new bridge crossings.
“The area is most vulnerable while under construction,” warned Cooper. “What is really unbelievable is that all of this could be happening despite the recent floods in Glen Cairn. Unless there is evidence that some credible hydraulic analysis has been prepared to support the work currently under construction, a cynic might conclude that the city appears to be more concerned about losing its funding from other levels of government should this project not be completed in time to qualify for the ISP funding, than it is concerned about ensuring the protection of the public’s health and safety and property of its residents.”
The $65 million Infrastructure Stimulus Fund plan, the most expensive in Ontario, is the result of an environmental study from 2002 that concluded Hazeldean Road is unable to accommodate new residential and commercial development planned for the Stittsville area and adjacent Kanata West lands.
“The Hazeldean Road bridges are to be replaced based on a Class Environmental Assessment first completed in 2002, and updated in 2007. Since the planning and design of the bridges and Hazeldean Road projects were approved, many problems have been uncovered with the hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of the Carp River,” said Cooper.
Stittsville-Kanata West councillor Shad Qadri referred Cooper’s concerns to Ottawa senior engineer Wayne Newell.
Qadri explained the new four-lane road will be constructed to urban standards, with the inclusion of both sidewalks and bicycle lanes, culverts and street lighting. As a federal stimulus project, the work is to be substantially completed by March 31, 2011.
Initial construction now under way includes site preparation, utility relocations, storm and sanitary sewer construction, water main construction and temporary road realignment at the Carp River to facilitate bridge construction.
Major road widening work is anticipated to begin in the spring.
“This is a very complicated situation, and one in which attention must be given to all details,” said Cooper. “I find it astonishing where this is occurring – immediately downstream from Glen Cairn where flooding has occurred three times in the last 13 years, on a reach of river where the MOE issued an Order against the city.”
Cooper said related issues that will impact flooding in the area include the period until the Maple Grove Road crossing is replaced with a bridge with a larger opening, including a pedestrian underpass. He also said “the construction phasing of the Carp River Restoration Plan, which if I understand correctly, is to start downstream (Richardson Side Road area) and proceed upstream over a six-year period. That means most of the floodplain area to be filled and developed would proceed first and then only in subsequent years will a compensating cut in the reach upstream of Palladium Drive proceed.”
Cooper said the city is virtually bottlenecking the flood threat farther downstream with its current course of action.