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An innovative solution to longstanding water problems in Sandy Hill has been recognized by the Ontario Public Works Association.
A City of Ottawa reservoir tank that’s meant to stop flooding in the area was completed in May as part of a redeveloped Sandy Hill Park.
The tank is designed to divert and retain excess water during heavy rainfall and can hold 12,500 cubic metres, the equivalent of five Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Surface runoff storage on top of the tank can hold an additional 3,800 cubic metres, or the equivalent of 1.5 Olympic-sized pools.
The $17-million project has been named a project of the year by the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA).
Most of the park has been sunk, creating the ground-level holding tank. The new flood management measures are invisible beneath the park, which also has a new play structure.
The improvements also included new washrooms and changerooms for the wading pool, which were built into the utility building that houses the holding tank’s controls.
In the past, the Sandy Hill park area would be flooded during large amounts of rainfall and could take weeks to dry. It can now be drained within 13 hours.
The reservoir tank won in the category for projects over $10 million.
Matthew Fisher, an OPWA awards committee member, said the committee recognized “the innovative approach required to successfully design and construct this complex project within an existing urban area.”
City officials will accept the award on Jan. 28 at the association’s annual conference. The project will also compete with projects from across North America in the American Public Works Association’s annual awards program.