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9. MANAGEMENT UPDATE SEWAGE AUDIT
Mise à jour de la direction sur la vérification des eaux d’égout
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Committee recommendation
That Council receive this report for information.
Recommandation DU Comité
Que le Conseil prend connaissance du présent rapport.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager's report Planning, Transit and the Environment dated 1 March 2010 (ACS2010-ICS-ESD-0003).
Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement
1 March 2010 / le 1 mars 2010
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Dixon Weir, General Manager/Directeur général
Environmental Services Department/Services environnementaux
(613) 580-2424 x22002, Dixon.Weir@ottawa.ca
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Ref N°: ACS2010-ICS-ESD-0003 |
SUBJECT: |
MANAGEMENT UPDATE SEWAGE AUDIT |
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OBJET : |
Mise à jour de la direction sur la vérification des eaux d’égout |
That the Planning and Environment Committee recommend Council receive this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement recommande au Conseil de prendre connaissance du présent rapport.
In August 2006, the Keefer Regulator gate remained in a closed position for 12 days, directing raw sewage into the Ottawa River. The City was charged under the Ontario Water Resources Act and fined as a result of this event.
In May 2008, both the City Manager and the Auditor General conducted assessments of the situation and events leading up to it. The City Manager respectively retained Mike Price & Associates (MP&A) to undertake a separate review in June 2008.
The results of the City Manager’s review was also concluded in June. This assessment contained 15 recommendations.
In October, the Auditor General released his report on the 2006 Keefer Regulator Spill. This report contained 6 recommendations.
On November 12, 2008, Council directed staff to prepare quarterly reports to Committee and annual reports to Committee and Council. This report represents the Department’s annual report on the status of the 21 recommendations contained in those audits.
Progress reports were provided to Committee in December of 2008, and April and October of 2009. The October progress report was based on a one-year follow-up review completed by MP&A in June 2009.
City staff are making strong progress in addressing the issues identified in the two reports. Overall 86% of the 21 recommendations are now complete. Of the Auditor General’s 6 recommendations, 5 are now complete. MP&A made 15 recommendations and 13 of those are now complete. The work associated with the 3 remaining recommendations related to the development and introduction of a risk-based Environmental Quality Management System (EQMS) and a branch-wide assessment to ascertain a thorough understanding of the current strengths of the organizational design and areas that require adjustment. Both of these initiatives are well advanced at this time.
During the December 2008 Management Update Report to Committee, the Department proposed an external review of progress on the recommendations in order to ensure the transparency of the information reported to Council and the public. MP&A was retained for this purpose. MP&A provided a follow-up report following interviews with staff and a thorough review of all of the operating protocols and procedures in the context of the audit recommendations, as well as a review of the progress on the establishment of a risk management system.
The MP&A review was concluded with the delivery of a follow-up report in June, the results of which were subsequently reported to Committee on October 13, 2009. That report confirmed the following:
· First level supervisors are now extremely clear on their roles and responsibilities;
· Managers are very hands on, and provide the required support to front-line supervisors;
· All Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) needed for maintenance of the regulators are now in place and are working;
The MP&A review also made some suggestions for improvement. One of those areas related to low staffing levels is the Sewer Maintenance Section. Both the June 2008 and the June 2009 MP&A reports were consistent on this matter.
While a reduced staff complement has been addressed temporarily through the use of overtime and temporary staffing, budget increases have been recommended for 2010 and service levels will be reviewed in parallel to the Environmental Quality Management System development.
Some additional areas suggested by MP&A that require attention include:
· The risk factors applicable to the Environmental Services Department. While MP&A confirmed that an EQMS will be an excellent tool for the Department, it further commented that it will not address all of the risks. MP&A recommended that the Departmental focus should be to proactively seek out all variety of threats to its services and respond accordingly. As indicated in the report to Committee and Council in May 2009, it is planned that the EQMS will become the foundation of an integrated risk management system for the Department. Once developed, the EQMS will evolve to incorporate added functionality with respect to Enhanced Risk Management System (Organizational Development and Performance), Occupational Health and Safety (Employee Services), and Emergency Management and Business Continuity (Office of Emergency Management), for example.
Real Time Control
With the imminent commissioning of three real time control regulators: Rideau River Collector (Keefer and Cathcart); and the Rideau Canal Interceptor, significant reduction in combined sewer overflow (CSO) into the Ottawa River will be achieved. With the commissioning of the Booth Street (Lloyd-Booth and Lloyd-Preston) and West Nepean Collector, it is expected that a 65% deduction in the volume of CSOs will be achieved.
Organizational Culture
The Auditor General recommended that the City review the organizational structure of Wastewater and Drainage Operations to ensure adequate communication and operational oversight is maintained. A departmental review (Strategic Alignment Initiative) was initiated with SP3 Consulting Ltd. The consultant completed broad-based on-site interview work with many staff members across the Environmental Services Department in April, outlining the current and recommended changes in roles and responsibilities of all branches and divisions, an organizational model, strategic alignment goals and principles, as well as a transition strategy.
The Department will now move onto the second phase of its strategic realignment initiative. This work, that engages staff directly, will transition the Department towards a customer-centric environmental leadership role. The transition will take place over a number of months and aligns well with the City’s overall development of a Service Excellence culture through greater employee engagement and operational effectiveness.
Environmental Quality Management System (EQMS)
Staff provided a report to Committee in May 2009 outlining how and when an EQMS will be implemented and next steps. Due to the reallocation of resources to support the coporate H1N1 response, the next report to Committee seeking endorsement of the EQMS and approval of the Wastewater and Drainage Operations Environmental Policy will go forward in Q2 2010.
Implementation of these recommendations, including development of an EQMS, will support the Department’s mission to deliver sustainable Water and Wastewater Services in an innovative, reliable, safe and cost effective manner to support public health, environmental protection and economic development. This mission is supported by 9 strategic directions and 5 perspectives that consider customers, partnerships, organizational culture, resources, and programs and services. Resources will be managed in a sustainable manner through employee development, an effective, comprehensive asset management program, effective financial management and the stewardship of the natural environment.
There are no rural implications.
This report is subject to normal public notification.
This report has city-wide implications.
Moving forward with the recommendations of Mike Price & Associates and the Auditor General will assist the City in exercising its due diligence with respect to its environmental responsibilities.
Not applicable.
This report has no technical implications.
This report has no financial implications.
The Environmental Services Department will implement any Committee and Council directions.