Cleaning up the Ottawa River
The City of Ottawa has been working for several years to separate sewers in various areas of the City, but as you all know, there is still much work to be done.
This is a problem that was identified under this Council’s watch, and it is under our watch that a solution is being found.
Residents living in the capital city of Canada deserve clean and well-maintained waterways, and we are committed to ensuring that is the case.
With great support from the federal and provincial governments, measures are now being undertaken to limit the flow of sewage and contaminated storm water into the river.
Last year, the City tabled a comprehensive program to protect and improve Ottawa River water quality.
A key component of that plan was the tabling of three options for the public to consider that would control the level of sewage and contaminated storm water into the river.
After much public consultation, a report released yesterday detailed the preferred option- the City’s Ottawa River Action Plan; a comprehensive program intended to take us further in protecting and improving Ottawa River water quality.
A key recommendation in that report is that the City target $140 million in spending over the next five years to further reduce combined sewer overflows into the Ottawa River.
We are pleased that both the federal and provincial governments have provided funding in support of these initiatives, and we look forward to their continued support.
We are committed, through these partnerships, to ensuring that the river is clean for future generations.
As your Mayor, I can tell you that I am proud to be part of a municipal government dedicated to the long-term sustainability of its City.
Our commitment to fixing the problems affecting Ottawa’s waterways is yet another example of a Council showing faith in its city’s future.