For Immediate Release
2005-04-06
For further information contact:
Cindie Ashton, Communications Officer, 546-4291, ext. 3116 (cell 329-3462)
UPDATE FROM UTILITIES KINGSTON ON WOLFE ISLAND CLEANUP
Contractors for Utilities Kingston have completed the cleanup of waste material along the north-eastern point (Brophy's Point) of Wolfe Island.
The response follows reports April 5 from residents of Wolfe Island advising that waste material had washed up on the shoreline.
Over the weekend, Utilities Kingston bypassed 52,000 litres of rainwater and waste material from the sanitary sewer system. It is too early to determine if these
events are related.
Utilities Kingston continues work with the Ministry of Environment to investigate the possible origin of the waste material and monitor the situation.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Many homes, in older parts of the City, are serviced by a combined storm and sanitary sewer system. These combined sewers transport both household wastewater
and rainwater.
During heavy rainfalls these combined sewers can become overloaded causing backups into basements and in extreme cases forcing Utilities Kingston to release the
untreated wastewater and stormwater into local waterways.
Utilities Kingston is in the process of installing a Harbourfront Trunk Sewer. Once complete, this 1.2-metre-diameter concrete pipe will collect household
wastewater and stormwater from the combined sewer system in the downtown area and transport it to the River Street Pumping Station.
Work is almost done on the Phase I of the new sewer, Cataraqui Street to Bay Street, mid-way between Rideau Street and the Inner Harbour. Phase II, along
Wellington Street between Princess and Bay Streets, will begin this Spring.
The Harbourfront Trunk Sewer project is one piece of the larger Pollution Control Plan, a plan to improve the sewage collection system and reduce the number of
sewage bypasses.
In 1992, the City developed a comprehensive Pollution Control Plan to address water pollution issues and the capacity limitations of the sewage collection
system.
The plan led to a long-term strategy for dealing with water pollution along the waterfront and recommended a number of infrastructure improvement projects. In
2000, the plan was reviewed for progress and reevaluated the current priorities, in particular, combined sewer overflows.
The new Harbourfront Trunk Sewer will provided increased capacity to transport the wastewater and stormwater from the combined system, decreasing the amount
that is released into waterways during heavy rain falls.
In addition to the Harbourfront Trunk Sewer project, there are a number of other projects recommended in the Pollution Control Plan that are currently in
progress or nearly completed. Combined these projects total approximately $50 million and are necessary to increase environmental protection.
Current related projects include:
Upgrades to the River Street Pumping Station. The upgrades are not only necessary to accept the increased capacity of the Harbourfront Trunk Sewer, but also to
become the final connection to pump the sewage into the new sewer pipes placed beneath the Cataraqui River this summer.
The Cataraqui River sewer pipe crossing will transport the wastewater to the Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant.
A number of combined sewer overflow tanks have been installed across the downtown. Construction continues on the final two underground tanks, one in Emma Martin
Park and the other near the King Street Water Treatment Plant, and will be complete by Spring 2006. The tanks store excess stormwater and wastewater when the
combined sewer system becomes overloaded, decreasing the amount of untreated water released into local waterways.
Also, upgrades to the Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant, as recommended in the recent Environmental Assessment, are now in the preliminary design stages.
The upgrades at the plant will increase capacity, add a secondary treatment process, provide additional treatment equipment, and update the plant odour control
and electronic systems.
The total cost of the Ravensview project is estimated to be $100 million. Costs directly associated with upgrades at the plant, to protect the environment and
public health, will be recovered through sewer rates. Costs directly associated with expanding the plant, to accommodate future growth, will be recovered
through impost fees assessed directly against future development.
The Federal Government has committed up to $25 million in grants towards the Ravensview project. Utilities Kingston and the City will be pursuing all possible
funding opportunities to reduce its net share of the project cost.
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