Ottawa, Ontario, July 22, 2010 – The Honourable John Baird, Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister and Member of Parliament for Ottawa West-Nepean; Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Revenue and Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre; and City of Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien, today celebrated the grand opening of the new Keefer Regulator, a project to improve Ottawa’s wastewater management and decrease combined sewer overflows into the Ottawa River.
“The Government of Canada, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is making historic investments in the Ottawa River,” said Minister Baird. “Secure wastewater infrastructure, like the Keefer Regulator, helps ensure that our water sources remain clean and safe, while also stimulating the economy through infrastructure projects that create local jobs.”
"The Government of Ontario is pleased with our partnership in this important initiative to help clean up the Ottawa River,” said MPP Naqvi. “With the launch of the Ottawa River Action Plan and the new Keefer Regulator gates, the health of our river will significantly improve, providing us with safer drinking water and a cleaner waterway."
“Our residents have made it clear to City Council that safe and healthy waterways are a top priority, and we have listened,” said Mayor O’Brien. “Through this partnership with the federal and provincial governments, we are making real progress toward cleaning up the Ottawa River.”
A combined sewer is a type of sewer system that collects wastewater and stormwater runoff in a single pipe system. Together, the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa are providing $19.75 million to this project.
The City of Ottawa has implemented Real-Time Control (RTC) technology at the Keefer Regulator, which will reduce the frequency of combined sewer overflows into the Ottawa River. This new system allows the City to continuously monitor the flow of stormwater and wastewater, and allows it to remotely activate specialized equipment.
Through the Building Canada Fund delivered by Infrastructure Canada, the Government of Canada is providing $9.365 million, which is one-half of the total eligible costs of the project. The City of Ottawa is providing the remainder of the project costs. The Province of Ontario is providing $3.3 million toward this project as part of its $33-million contribution to the city for the Ottawa River initiative.
Federal funding for the project is being provided as part of a broader $100-million Ottawa River initiative funded equally by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.
Demonstrating its commitment to stimulating the economy and creating jobs, the Government of Canada is moving forward with a number of large-scale infrastructure programs to assist Ontarians when they need it most. The Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan is accelerating and expanding the existing federal investment of $33 billion in infrastructure with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years.
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
Contacts:
James Kusie
Office of Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister
613-991-0700
Jackie Choquette
Office of Yasir Naqvi, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Centre
613-722-6414
Jasmine MacDonnell
Communications Director
Office of Ottawa
Mayor Larry O'Brien
(613) 580-2496
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa today celebrated the grand opening of the new Keefer Regulator. The Keefer Regulator is part of the City of Ottawa’s project to address combined sewers. This project will improve Ottawa’s wastewater management and decrease sewer overflows into the Ottawa River. A combined sewer is a type of sewer system that collects sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff in a single pipe system.
The City of Ottawa has implemented Real-Time Control (RTC) technology at the Keefer Regulator, which will reduce the frequency of sewer overflows into the Ottawa River. This new system allows the City to continuously monitor stormwater and wastewater flows, and allows it to remotely activate specialized equipment. As a result, the new system will allow the City to reduce the volume of untreated wastewater effluent discharged into the Ottawa River, and the number of incidents that result from combined sewer overflow events.
The project began in July 2008 and was completed in April 2010.
The City of Ottawa’s project to address combined sewers includes the following components:
- Upgrades to the West End Regulators;
- Critical Outfall Flow Monitoring;
- Integrated Sewer Separation;
- Inlet Control Devices;
- Pollution Prevention and Control Assessments; and
- Ottawa River Water Quality Assessment Modelling.
The Government of Canada is providing $9.365 million, which is one-half of the total eligible costs of the project. The City of Ottawa is providing the remainder of the project costs. The Province of Ontario is providing $3.3 million toward this project as part of its $33-million contribution to the city for the Ottawa River initiative.
The total project cost is $19.75 million. Federal funding for the project will be provided as part of a broader $100-million Ottawa River initiative funded equally by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.
