By Jessalyn Randall
New provincial regulations have prompted the Region of Ottawa-Carleton to pump money into upgrading its drinking water systems.
The province started a fund to help municipalities bring water quality up to the new standards, but due to its size, the region is ineligible for funding — even as the new City of Ottawa next year.
Regional council recently approved funding of almost $700,000 to implement the new regulations. Changes are necessary to upgrade water systems, but not the region’s water treatment quality.
Changes include a 25 per cent increase in staff training hours and a Web site, updated four times a year, which is to include reports on any changes and all recent water testing results. The first report must be submitted to the Ministry of Environment and posted on the Internet by Oct. 30.
Also new is the hiring of an independent contract engineer to oversee the implementation of the new standards.
Existing policy says any adverse water quality must be reported to the Ministry of Environment and the local medical officer of health.
Ian Douglas, a water quality engineer, says the region’s water treatment and monitoring surpassed provincial levels prior to the new standards.
“The Ottawa River, despite what the public may think, is a very clean source of water,” Douglas says.
Even though the new regulations mean more work, Douglas says the entire province will be brought up to a new standard. “Most of the changes are things we were largely doing before,” he says.
André Proulx, director of the region’s water division, says the province hinted at financial support for 2001. But this would be after much of the initial cost had been paid, he says.
John MacMillan, a provincial spokesperson, says money could come to the region through the Super Build Millennium Partnerships Initiative. Large municipalities have more people in a smaller area, and water costs differ from those in rural areas, he says.
Proulx says the money needed for the initial changes will come out of water reserve funds, made up of both taxes and water bill payments.
The current charge for water is 50 cents per cubic metre, which covers both maintenance and upgrades.
“In the end, every water customer pays for these changes,” he says. Proulx adds that the new regulations are not likely to cause an increase in the cost of water.
Most of the region’s water is drawn from the river and treated in one of two purification plants: Britannia in the west end or Lemieux in the east. Centretown water comes from both sources.
Water from the river goes through four filtering levels, including chlorination, which kills bacteria. “There are organic things that you don’t want in your drinking water, such as bacteria and viruses,” Douglas says.