Project@Synopsis

Wastewater and sewers systems for Ottawa City, Canada
Background of Ottawa City:

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the
Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa had a city population of
1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it the fourth-largest city and
fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Ottawa has the most educated population among Canadian cities and is home to a number of
colleges and universities, research and cultural institutions, including the University of Ottawa,
Carleton University, Algonquin College, the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada;
and numerous national museums, monuments, and historic sites. It is one of the most visited
cities in Canada, with over 11 million visitors in 2018
Total population 1,067,310 (end-2022)

Total household 457,070 (end-2022)
Wastewater and sewers system:

collection system:
Ottawa's wastewater collection system gathers wastewater from homes, businesses and
industrial sites, transporting it through a network of sewers, pumping stations and force mains
to trunk sewers. The wastewater then flows to the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre for
treatment.
Ottawa’s wastewater collection data as below
Total coverage area 2796 Sqm
Sanitary sewers 2846 Km
Combined sewer 108 Km
Wastewater pumping stations 71 Nos
Total Manholes More than 92,000
Total service connection 234,000
Pipe diameter 20cm to 3 meters
Sewer pipes ranging in size from 20 cm to three meters in diameter in the rural areas, a variety
of collection methods are used: Richmond, Munster Hamlet and Carp are connected to the
municipal trunk system. Elsewhere individual septic systems are used and the sludge from septic
tanks is transported to the Robert O. Pickard Centre for treatment.
Fig-1: Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel map (CSST)
The Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel (CSST) is connected to the most active, high-volume
combined sewage overflow (CSO) locations within its service area, and functions as an
underground, linear storage facility. It intercepts and stores surface runoff and wastewater
(combined sewage) until it may be treated at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre and
returned safely to the Ottawa River.
➢ Significantly reduce the frequency of CSOs to the Ottawa River

➢ Reduce the volume of CSOs to the Ottawa River by up to 43,000 m3 per event – or
approximately 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools
➢ Reduce the risk of basement flooding for approximately 7,000 residential properties in
the north end of the Glebe and in Centre town
➢ Twin a critical downtown sanitary sewer (the Interceptor Outfall Sewer, or IOS), allowing
flow to be diverted for improved inspections and maintenance on this aging
infrastructure
The CSST and related measures help ensure Ottawa’s compliance with provincial targets for
CSO control.
Fig-2; Water and wastewater Network-interactive map
Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Systems map. Information includes the locations
of watermains, hydrants, valves, manholes, pipes, inlets/outlets, associated facilities and related
details.
Key information available for pipes within the wastewater collection system includes, length (m),
diameter (mm), materials, upstream and downstream inverts, similarly, key information for the
water distribution system includes diameter and material which can be viewed in a popup
window by clicking on individual pipes in the map view.
Wastewater Treatment:
Wastewater is water that has been used and discharged by homes, businesses and industrial
sources. It is 99.9 percent water by weight, with a very small portion (0.1 percent) of dissolved
and suspended solids.
Before it is returned to the Ottawa River, Wastewater is thoroughly treated at the Robert O.
Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC) to ensure it is safe for the public’s health and the
environment. ROPEC collects wastewater from more than 90% of Ottawa's population
Treatment process
1. Preliminary: Coarse screening/pumping: Wastewater flows to the plant through enormous
pipes buried deep in the ground. Once the wastewater arrives at the treatment plant, any object
bigger than a shoe gets screened out.
Fine screening: Screens will catch smaller objects like sticks and rags.
Grit removal: Degrit tanks separate pebbles, grit and sand from the other solids that can be
further treated.
2. Primary: Removal of settled solids (sludge) and floatable material (scum).
3. Secondary: Naturally occurring bacteria remove dissolved and suspended organic pollutants.
Removal of phosphorus takes place by adding a solution of iron to the wastewater. Iron captures
the phosphorus, creating a solid that can sink and be separated from the water.
4. Disinfection: Before it is finally returned to the Ottawa River, the treated water is first
disinfected using sodium hypochlorite, year-round.
Treatment Plant:
Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC)
• Provides secondary level treatment (physical and biological) of domestic, commercial

and industrial wastewater - returning treated water to the Ottawa River.
• Situated on 67 hectares of land adjacent to the Canotek Business Park in Ottawa East.
28.4 hectares remains available for future growth.
Background of treatment plant:
• Originally built in 1962, providing primary level treatment, and called the Green’s Creek
Pollution Control Centre.
• Expansions in 1971 and 1975 to provide needed capacity for the growing City.
• Major expansion and rehabilitation from 1988 to 1993 increasing treatment capacity,
improving biosolids processing, and adding odour control. Level of treatment improved
from primary treatment to include biological secondary treatment.
• Renamed for Robert O. Pickard, retired Commissioner of Works in the former Regional
Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton.
• Mr. Pickard helped initiate an expansion and upgrade of the centre to provide Ottawa
with improved wastewater treatment capacities.
• Addition of dechlorination process in 2013 to remove chlorine prior to discharge of
treated water to the Ottawa River.
Fig-3: Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC)
Performance
The Robert O. Pickard Environmental Center meets all provincial guidelines for wastewater
effluent as defined by the Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
(MECP).
Actual volume of wastewater treated at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre
Capacity (millions of litres/day) Actual (2019)
Average 545 436
Peak 1,362.5 1,392
combined sewer overflow record (CSO)
The City of Ottawa has three types of sewers: wastewater, stormwater, and combined.
• Wastewater sewers: Collect wastewater from homes, businesses and industries, and
transport the wastewater through a network of sewers, pumping stations and force mains
to main or trunk sewers, and direct it to the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre for
treatment.
• Stormwater sewers: Carry rainfall and other surface water run-off directly to the
nearest creek, stream or river, generally without treatment.
• Combined sewers: Collect and transport both sanitary wastewater and stormwater
runoff in a single pipe. This type of collection system was typically installed from 1880 to
1960 and is still in operation in older areas of most Canadian cities.
During dry weather, wastewater is collected and carried from a combined sewer to the City's
wastewater treatment plant. During heavy rainstorms or snowmelts, the combined sewer may
not be able to handle the high volume of stormwater runoff entering the system. Most of the
wastewater is transported to treatment plants via the wastewater pipe, but to prevent flooding
and sewer backups, some of the rain and wastewater mixture is diverted as overflow into the
river.
The practice of discharging overflows during the normal operation of combined sewer systems is
accepted by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). In Ottawa, these
events are monitored and reported to the MECP and downstream users such as water
purification plants and special interest groups
Overflow activity (January 1, 2020 to date):
The volume indicated in the chart below (CSO) denotes the volume of combined overflow
mixture which is comprised of storm water and wastewater. The majority of overflows occur
during heavy rain and snowfall/melting periods. The chart below indicates the date, cause, and
volume of each overflow event.
CSO: Combined Sewer Overflow SSO: Sanitary Sewer Overflow
Date Event Cause Volume (m3)
1 Nov 2020 CSO Rain 58,520 m3

3 Mar 2020 CSO Rain 870 m³
03/20/2020 CSO Rain 23,990 m3
03-29-2020 CSO Rain 26,300 m³
05-15-2020 CSO Rain 4,940 m³
05-29-2020 CSO Rain 11,450 m³
05-30-2020 CSO Rain 80 m³
06-28-2020 CSO Rain 20 m³
07-17-2020 CSO Rain 2,110 m³
07-19-2020 CSO Rain 30,830 m³
07-29-2020 CSO Rain 150 m³
07-30-2020 CSO Rain 1,200 m³
8 Feb 2020 CSO Rain 44,980 m³
8 Apr 2020 CSO Rain 12,540 m³
8 Nov 2020 CSO Rain 590 m³
08-16-2020 CSO Rain 39,550 m³
08-23-2020 CSO Rain 11,920 m³
08-29-2020 CSO Rain 34,900 m³
9 Feb 2020 CSO Rain 3,780 m³
09-13-2020 CSO Rain 200 m³
09-29-2020 CSO Rain 680 m³
10 Jul 2020 CSO Rain 6,440 m³
10-21-2020 CSO Rain 3,680 m³
12-24-2020 CSO Rain 24,300 m³
03-26-2021 CSO Rain 55,730 m³
08-29-2021 CSO Rain 680 m³
9 Jun 2021 CSO Rain 10 m³
09-15-2021 CSO Rain 1660 m³
10-16-2021 CSO Rain 61,870 m³
Faulty
11-16-2021 SSO 310 m³
Instrumentation
05-16-2022 CSO Rain 12,450 m³
05-21-2022 CSO Rain 910 m³
05-27-2022 CSO Rain 20 m³
6 Jan 2022 SSO Rain 17.68 m³
07-24-2022 CSO Rain 17.44 m³
8 Sep 2022 CSO Rain 31,370 m³
The City has been working for many years to separate remaining combined sewers. The value of
the work completed to date is estimated at $750 million. With the current funding framework,
it is expected the planned separation work will be completed in approximately 25 years.
The City has made the following improvement to existing systems:
• Water level, flow monitoring and alarm devices installed in major combined sewer
overflows and monitored daily to alert staff if an overflow occurs
• Strengthened protocols to provide prompt notification to the MECP Spills Action Centre
and Council in the event of an overflow
• Construction upgrades are in process for the overflow sites that were the major
contributors to the total volume of sewage released during combined sewer overflows
• Improved regulator inspection and maintenance are improved and now scheduled
monthly, weekly after each rain and within 24 hours of receiving an alarm

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Wastewater and sewers systems for Ottawa City, Canada

Background of Ottawa City:

Total population 1,067,310 (end-2022)

Wastewater and sewers system:

➢ Significantly reduce the frequency of CSOs to the Ottawa River

Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC)

• Provides secondary level treatment (physical and biological) of domestic, commercial

Background of treatment plant:

Actual volume of wastewater treated at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre

Capacity (millions of litres/day) Actual (2019)

Average 545 436

Peak 1,362.5 1,392

combined sewer overflow record (CSO)

Overflow activity (January 1, 2020 to date):

CSO: Combined Sewer Overflow SSO: Sanitary Sewer Overflow

Date Event Cause Volume (m3)

1 Nov 2020 CSO Rain 58,520 m3

The City has made the following improvement to existing systems:

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