M E M O   /   N O T E   D E   S E R V I C E

 

 

To / Destinataire

 

Chair and Members of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee /

Président et membres du Comité de l’agriculture et des questions rurales

 

File/N° de fichier: 

ACS2009-ISC-ESD-0007-IPD

 

From / Expéditeur

Dixon Weir, General Manager / Directeur général,

Environmental Services / Services environnementaux,

Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability / Services d’infrastructure et viabilité des collectivités

 

Contact Person / Personne ressource: Dave Ryan, Project Manager / Gestionnaire, Municipal Drainage / des installations de drainage, Environmental Services Department / Services environnementaux

613-580-2424 x 25106 Dave.Ryan@ottawa.ca

 

Subject / Objet

Municipal Drainage Program Update (IPD) /

Mise à jour de l'état de drainage municipal (IDP)

Date:  2 December 2009 /

Le 2 decembre 2009

 

 

 

The City of Ottawa has a legislative responsibility for all aspects of drainage works constructed under the Drainage Act, including the repair and maintenance of existing municipal drains and the construction of new drains.  This memo provides a general overview of the Municipal Drainage program and the status of various municipal drain petitions, improvement, and maintenance projects that are currently in the midst of an approval process.  The previous status update was provided at the June 11, 2009 Committee meeting (ACS2009-ICS-WWS-0017-IPD).

 

Municipal Drain Maintenance Program

 

In 2009, the City will be maintaining approximately 141,000 feet (43 kilometres) of municipal drains.  The total cost of $248,000 associated with this maintenance will be recovered through a combination of provincial grants and assessments to benefiting landowners. 

 

The following is a list of those municipal drains that are scheduled for maintenance in 2009 and for which, where eligible, grant money from the province has been requested.  Maintenance will also be conducted on a localized basis (beaver dams, culverts) on other municipal drains in response to inspections and landowner requests.

 


Albert Marshall Municipal Drain

Christie Dashney Municipal Drain

Crawford-Hill Municipal Drain

Cummings Municipal Drain

D'aoust Municipal Drain

David Cleroux Municipal Drain

Eric Deavy Municipal Drain

Garvock Municipal Drain

Hobbs Municipal Drain, Br. 11

Kizell Municipal Drain

Lalande-Cleroux Municipal Drain

Leamy Creek Municipal Drain 

Lowe-Armstrong Municipal Drain

McCormick Municipal Drain

Monahan Municipal Drain

Kenny Branch 

Mud Creek Municipal Drain

Schwerdfager Municipal Drain

Smith Municipal Drain

Smith-Gooding Municipal Drain

South Castor River Municipal Drain

Spikker Municipal Drain

Stanley Edwards Municipal Drain


 

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) budget was approved in June.  Approvals were obtained from the various regulatory agencies and maintenance is ongoing and will continue into early winter, after the crops have been harvested.

 

For 2010, the City of Ottawa has, to date, received requests for maintenance on 15 municipal drains, with more expected before the end of the year, and will be submitting a grant allotment request to the province to provide for a one-third grant on assessments to agricultural lands affected by maintenance.  The remaining two-thirds of the maintenance costs are recovered through assessments to benefiting landowners.

 

Municipal Drain Capital Project Status Update

 

Six of the seven capital projects listed in Attachment 1 to this report are Section 4 Drainage Act petitions for new drainage works.  Significant advances have been achieved in 2009 on these files.

 

Following a landowner meeting held on October 26, 2009, the Engineer’s Report for the Upper Flowing Creek landowners’ petition for drainage works is to be filed with the City Clerk this month.  Construction of the drainage works is expected to begin in Q3 2010.

 

Following receipt of a landowners’ petition for the giving of new drain status to the existing Arbuckle award drain, the final Engineer’s Report will be submitted to the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority by the end of December.  Construction is anticipated to commence in Q3 2010.

 

With respect to the David Adams petition for new drain status, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority referred the project to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for review.  The Drainage Engineer has secured DFO agreement in principle with respect to the revised drain design.  A landowners meeting was held on December 1st.  The Engineer’s report will be finalized and submitted for Council’s consideration in Q1 2010.

 

The Drainage Engineer’s preliminary report will be filed in December for both the Upper Dowdall and the Upper Karl Municipal Drain petitions for the extension of the existing drain in the Goulbourn Ward/Beckwith Township area.  The reports will proceed to Committee and Council in Q1 2010.  With the approval of Council, a full Engineer’s report will follow.

 

A preliminary Engineer’s report for the Hazeldean Road Municipal Drain was considered by Council in September 2009.  At that time, Council directed the Drainage Engineer’s to prepare a full report in response to the landowners’ petition for drainage works.  That report is anticipated in Q1 2010, and construction is expected in Q3 2010.

 

A Drainage Engineer was appointed under Section 78 of the Drainage Act to undertake modifications and improvements to the Dowdall Municipal Drain in Goulbourn Ward.  The necessary regulatory approvals have been received.  Following receipt of the revised Engineer’s Report, a second prelminary landowner meeting was held in November.  The revised Engineer’s Report will proceed to Committee on January 14.  Construction is anticipated in the summer of 2010.

 

Coordination with Stakeholders

 

In addition to the Drainage Act, watercourses are governed by several other Federal and Provincial Acts:

 

 

The Endangered Species Act is the most recently created provincial legislation affecting both the maintenance and construction of drainage works.  City Drainage staff are working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on the approval process and related requirements under this statute.

 

Progress is being made and all projects are moving forward and are at various stages in the design and/or approval process.  Individual project status is described in greater detail in the attached table.  As a result, the timing for filing of Engineers’ Reports has increased considerably.  Section 39(1) of the Drainage Act allows Council to extend the timing for filing of Engineer’s Reports and extensions were granted in November 2008 for all new drainage petition projects.

 

Groups representing the various regulatory bodies have been established at the provincial level, the Drainage Action Review Team (DART), and at the federal level, a Drainage Action Working Group (DAWG), for the purpose of gaining a greater understanding of the competing legislation and for the development of communication tools that provide clearer direction for all of the parties concerned.  To date, neither DART nor DAWG has made significant headway, as such a similar committee for eastern Ontario involving the DFO, OMAFRA, local Conservation Authorities and municipal staff may be established to deal with the various issues on a more localized level.

 


Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dave Ryan, Drainage Superintendent, Wastewater and Drainage Operations, at extension 25106.

 

Original signed by

 

Dixon Weir, P.Eng.

General Manager

Environmental Services

 

 

cc:        Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability

 

Attachment (1)            Drainage Act Capital Project Summary

 

 

 


Attachment 1

City of Ottawa Drainage Act Capital Project Summary

 

Project Name

Ward

Council Approval

CA

Drainage Act Authority

Project Summary
Status/CA Requirements/Engineering Reviews

Anticipated Approval and

Construction Timing/Schedule[1]

1. Arbuckle Report

Goulbourn

Oct 2005

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

RVCA

Section 4 (new report to give status to existing award drain)

 

Landowners have petitioned for status under the Drainage Act for an existing award drain to ensure legal and sufficient outlet and future maintenance.

RVCA comments and tentative approval received.

Final Engineer’s Report to be submitted to

RVCA by end of Dec. 2009.

 

Drainage Act approval process Q1of 2010.

 

Construction anticipated to begin in Q3 of 2010*.

2. Dowdall/ Morold Municipal Drain Report

Goulbourn

March 2005

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

 

 

RVCA

Section 78 (revise existing report to reflect changes and improvements to the drain)

 

Purpose is to update the report to reflect changes to an existing drain made by the former Township of Goulbourn and DND in the 1990’s and for minor improvements requested by landowners.

RVCA Permit received.

 

Engineer’s report was tabled at ARAC on June 11, 2009.  The Engineer’s Report was referred back to the Engineer under Section 57 of the Drainage Act by Council on June 24, 2009.

 

Revised Engineer’s Report to be filed with City Clerk in Nov. 2009.

Second preliminary landowners meeting scheduled

for Nov. 19, 2009.

 

A revised Engineer’s Report is to be tabled at

ARAC on January 14, 2010.

 

Drainage Act approval process Q1/Q2 2010.

 

Construction is anticipated to begin in Q3 of 2010.

 

3. David Adams Report

Rideau

April 2005

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

RVCA

Section 4 (new report to give status to existing award drain)

Landowners have petitioned for status under the Drainage Act for an existing award drain. Petition was prompted by long-standing man-made blockage at bottom end of agricultural award drain impeding flows and flooding upstream lands.

 

RVCA has referred the project to Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO) for federal review as proposed works exceed RVCA’s delegated authority.  Engineer has met with and submitted revised

design to DFO.  DFO is in agreement in

principle with the proposed design.

 

Engineer to finalize draft report for Council consideration in Q1 of 2010.

 

Landowner meeting scheduled for Dec. 1.

4. Upper Flowing Creek Report

Goulbourn

July 2006

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

RVCA

Section 4 (new report to give status to an existing watercourse)

Landowners have petitioned for drainage works in response to ongoing drainage concerns, lack of outlet in Flowing Creek and extensive beaver activity. 

 

Engineer to finalize report and file with City Clerk in December 2009.

A landowner meeting was held on  October 26, 2009 to discuss the Engineer’s  draft report.

 

Drainage Act approval process in Q1 of 2010.

 

Construction expected to begin in Q3 of 2010.

5. Upper Dowdall MD (Ashton Station Road)

Goulbourn

Beckwith

June 2008

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

 

RVCA

Section 4 (petition to extend existing drain)

Petition for Drainage Works by Beckwith Township and the City of Ottawa Surface Operations (Road Superintendent) due to historic flooding of Ashton Station Road during spring and ongoing high maintenance costs.  Public access and safety issue.

 

Preliminary Engineer’s Report to be filed with City Clerk in Dec. 2009.

Preliminary Engineer’s Report to ARAC/Council –

Q1 of 2010 (meeting to consider the preliminary report).

 

6. Upper Karl MD (Ashton Station Road)

Goulbourn

Beckwith

June 2008

(Report filing extension under Section 39(1) granted in November 2008)

RVCA

Section 4 (petition to extend existing drain)

Petition for Drainage Works by Beckwith Township and the City of Ottawa Surface Operations (Road Superintendent) due to historic flooding of Ashton Station Road during spring and ongoing high maintenance costs.  Public access and safety issue.

 

Preliminary Engineer’s Report to be filed with City Clerk in Dec. 2009.

Preliminary Engineer’s Report to ARAC/Council –

Q1 of 2010 (meeting to consider the preliminary

report).

7. Hazeldean Road

Goulbourn

May 2008, 9 Sept. 2009

MVCA

Section 4

Petition for Drainage Works by several landowners in response to ongoing drainage concerns, lack of outlet, wetland designations and road safety. 

Engineer proceeding with full Engineer’s Report.

Council – September 9, 2009 - Engineer instructed by Council to prepare a full Engineer’s Report.

 

Engineer to file his report in Q1 of 2010.

 

Drainage Act approval process in Q2 of 2010.

 

Construction anticipated in Q3 of 2010.

 



[1] Based on the estimated regulatory agency review period, and subject to appeals under the Drainage Act.