M E M O / N O T E D E S
E R V I C E
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To / Destinataire
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Chair and Members of the
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee /
Président et membres du Comité de
l’agriculture et des questions rurales
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File/N° de fichier:
ACS2010-ICS-ESD-0022-IPD
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From / Expéditeur
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Contact Person / Personne ressource: Dave
Ryan, Project Manager, Municipal Drainage / Gestionnaire, Installations de drainage, Environmental Services Department / Services environnementaux
613-580-2424 x 25106 Dave.Ryan@ottawa.ca
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Subject / Objet
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Municipal Drains Program Update
(IPD) / Mise à jour programme de drainage municipal (IDP)
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Date: June 11, 2010 /
Le 11 juin 2010
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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 Drains
Program as well as the status of various municipal drain petitions, and improvement
and maintenance projects that are currently in the midst of an approval
process. The previous status update was provided at
the December 9, 2009 Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee meeting in report
ACS2009-ICS-ESD-0007-IPD.
Municipal Drain Maintenance Program
In 2009, the
City Drainage Superintendents maintained approximately 132,202 feet (approximately
40 kilometres) of municipal drains. The total cost of $236,695.33 associated
with this maintenance will be recovered through a combination of provincial
grants and assessments to benefiting landowners. An annual provincial grant
from the province in the amount of $189,273.91 was received in April 2010 to
cover grants to eligible agricultural landowners and City Drainage
Superintendents costs.
The following is
a list of those municipal drains that are scheduled for maintenance in 2010 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. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’
(OMAFRA) budget was approved in April. Approvals are obtained from the various
regulatory agencies and maintenance is ongoing and will continue throughout the
summer, fall and into early winter, after the crops have been harvested.
Municipal
Drain Capital Project Status Update
Six of the seven capital projects listed in Document 1 to this
report are Section 4 Drainage Act petitions for new drainage works. Significant
advances have been achieved in 2009 and Q1 of 2010 on these files. The
Engineer’s Reports have been completed for all drainage works and are at
various stages in the Drainage Act approval process.
Upper Flowing Creek - Following a landowner meeting held on October
26, 2009, the Engineer’s Report for the Upper Flowing Creek landowners’ petition
for drainage works was filed with the City Clerk, regulatory approvals received
and the Meeting to Consider the Engineer’s Report was considered at the May 27
ARAC meeting. Subject to the Drainage Act, approval and appeal process,
construction of the drainage works may begin in 2011.
Arbuckle - Following receipt of a landowners’ petition to give the
existing Arbuckle award drain status under the Drainage Act, the final
Engineer’s Report was submitted to the City and the Meeting to Consider the
Report was held on March 25 at ARAC. The lands requiring drainage are now the
subject of a development application and change in ownership, as such the
Engineer’s Report was referred back to the Engineer who will meet again with
landowners to determine their requirements and report back to Council later in
2010.
David Adams - With respect to the petition to give the David Adams
Award drain status under the Drainage Act, 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 1, 2009. The Engineer’s report has been finalized
and will be submitted for Council’s consideration in Q3 of 2010.
Upper Dowdall and Upper Karl - The Drainage Engineer’s preliminary
reports 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, have been completed and meetings held with Township of Beckwith officials
to determine whether they wish to proceed with the drainage works. Pending a
decision from the Township, the preliminary reports will proceed to Committee
and Council in Q3 of 2010. With the approval of Council, the preparation of a
full Engineer’s Report will follow.
Hazeldean Road - 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 to prepare a full report in
response to the landowners’ petition for drainage works. That report has been
completed and is to be tabled at ARAC on July 8, 2010, and construction is
expected in Q4 of 2010.
Dowdall MD - 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 preliminary landowner meeting was held in November 2009. The revised
Engineer’s Report was tabled at Committee on January 14, February 11 and April
22, 2010. Notices of appeal to the Ontario Drainage Tribunal were filed on May
11 regarding the decision of the Court of Revision and will delay construction until
the summer of 2011.
Coordination with Stakeholders
In addition to the Drainage Act, watercourses are governed by
several other Federal and Provincial Acts:
- The Provincial Conservation Authorities Act, Endangered
Species Act, Public Lands Act, Lakes and Rivers Improvement
Act, the Ontario Water Resources Act, the Environmental
Protection Act; and,
- The Federal Fisheries Act and the Navigable Waters
Act.
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; all projects are moving forward at various
stages in the Drainage Act approval process. Individual project status
is described in greater detail in Document 1. 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.
Should you have
any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dave Ryan, Drainage
Superintendent, Wastewater and Drainage Operations, at extension 25106.
Dixon Weir,
P.Eng.
General Manager
Environmental
Services
Document
1 Drainage Act Capital Project Summary
Document
2 Municipal Drains Timeliness
cc: Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure
Services and Community Sustainability