Last week’s severe thunderstorm overwhelmed Ottawa’s new, purpose\u002Dbuilt sewage and stormwater storage tunnel, sending 316 million litres of contaminated water pouring into the Ottawa River. It was the worst overflow since the $232 million Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel (CSST) went into service in 2020.
It was the worst overflow since the $232 million Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel went into service in 2020.The storage tunnel can hold 43 million litres of sewage-contaminated rainwater, which allows it to be treated before being released into the river.
“The intensity of the storm and the subsequent volume of rainfall surpassed the tunnel’s design capacity,” said Journeaux. “As a result, approximately 316,000 cubic metres overflowed to the Ottawa River, prompting notification to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.”Article contentThe sewage overflow triggered swim advisories at the Petrie River and Petrie East Bay beaches because of E. coli counts five times above the minimum standard for safe beach water.
The question now facing city engineers is whether the storage tunnel is big enough to handle the extreme storms that appear to be happening more frequently in the National Capital Region.Article content Ottawa city crews were watching the water rise at the PEBB Building at 2197 Riverside Drive in Ottawa, Monday Oct. 30, 2017.Ottawa’s combined sewage storage tunnel is designed to prevent the oldest parts of the city’s sewer system from overflowing into the Ottawa River during heavy downpours. Its tunnels and underground silos can hold about as much water as 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
In addition to protecting the Ottawa River, the north-south tunnel is designed to reduce the incidence of basement flooding in low-lying areas of Centretown and the Glebe. During the spring melt and heavy rainstorms, these combined sewers can be inundated. Rather than have them overflow into basements, the city opens gates to the Ottawa River to release the polluted mix — as it did last week.Photo by Julie OliverThe city used to experience dozens of such overflow events every year. In 2017 alone, 1.6 billion litres of diluted sewage went into the river.
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