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6.
Petition for drainage works
- Upper Dowdall INSTALLATIONS MUNICIPALES
DE DRAINAGE - UPPER DOWdall |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve the Preliminary
Engineer's Report for the Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain and instruct the
Engineer to prepare a full Engineer’s Report in accordance with Section 10(5) of the Ontario Drainage Act.
RECOMMANDATION DU COMITÉ
Que le Conseil municipal approuve le rapport préliminaire de l’ingénieur
concernant les installations municipales de drainage Upper Dowdall et charge
l’ingéneiur de préparer un rapport, conformément aux articles 10(5) de la Loi
sur le drainage de l’Ontario.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager’s
Report, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability, dated 26 May 2011
(ACS2011-ICS-ESD-0017).
Report
to / Rapport au :
Agriculture
and Rural Affairs Committee
Comité de l’agriculture et des affaires
rurales
and Council / et au Conseil
26 May
2011/ le 26 mai 2011
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 / Services environnementaux
613-580-2424, x22002 Dixon.Weir@ottawa.ca
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Rideau-Goulbourn (21) |
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Ref N°: ACS2011-ICS-ESD-0017 |
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Committee recommend Council approve the Preliminary Engineer's Report for the
Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain and instruct the Engineer to prepare a full
Engineer’s Report in accordance with Section
10(5) of the Ontario Drainage Act.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de
l’agriculture et des affaires rurales recommande au Conseil municipal
d’approuver le rapport préliminaire de l’ingénieur concernant les installations
municipales de drainage Upper Dowdall et charge l’ingéneiur de préparer un
rapport, conformément aux articles 10(5) de la Loi sur le drainage de l’Ontario.
BACKGROUND
The proposed Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain has been initiated by petition of the Roads Superintendents of both the City of Ottawa and the Township of Beckwith under Section 4 of the Ontario Drainage Act. Ashton Station Road is subject to frequent flooding and poor drainage of the road bed creates hazardous road conditions and increases road maintenance requirements. This causes concern with regard to access for emergency vehicles, school buses and local residents. Public safety is also a concern for vehicles crossing flood waters, as are accidents involving deep waters adjacent to the road and accidents related to deteriorating road conditions.
The goal of the proposed municipal drain is to provide a cost-effective solution that balances environmental protection and public safety by means of reliable safe access, and reduced costs and environmental effects of increased road maintenance activities. The option of raising the road bed has been considered and found not viable due to cost and safety concerns (height of the road and steep shoulders above deep waters). Increasing the road bed would also involve expropriating land and covering areas on the adjacent Provincially-Significant Wetland (PSW) below the extended road bed. Proposed works within the PSW have been limited to an extent that will achieve the intended goal while minimizing impact on the wetland feature.
The following is a general description of the proposed works for the Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain (Document 2):
Proposed Works for Upper Dowdall MD
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1.0 |
Lower and resize, if required, the existing culvert at Ashton Station Road to match the existing grades of the upstream and downstream channel, including embedment. The intent is that a properly sized and located culvert would protect the road from flooding, resulting in fewer blockages and decreased maintenance. |
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2.0 |
An area of one (1) meter wide in the existing channel located along the periphery of the Provincially-Significant Wetland (PSW) is scheduled for vegetation maintenance. The existing vegetation and any blockages within this area would be removed without changing existing grades of the channel or adjacent banks. The intent is that this area will provide improved flow away from Ashton Station Road. |
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3.0 |
One significant beaver dam was noted within the buffer zone of the PSW near the unopened road allowance. It is proposed that the beaver dam and accumulated sediment upstream and downstream of the dam be removed in keeping with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Operational Statement for Beaver Dams. It is also proposed that the buffer zone and the one (1) meter wide channel be maintained beaver dam free. |
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4.0 |
A perched 1000mm diameter culvert passes through the raised road bed located on the unopened road allowance. The old road bed is now used for farm access. It is proposed that this culvert be lowered to match the existing channel grades upstream and downstream including embedment. The intent is that a properly sized and located culvert would provide improved flow away from Ashton Station Road and allow for fish passage and access to the upstream PSW. |
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5.0 |
It is proposed that a minimum cross-section of 1m wide by +/- 1m deep, with 2:1 side slopes downstream of the unopened road allowance, outside the PSW, and for the remainder of the proposed drain to Copeland Road, be constructed. This section of the existing watercourse passes through, primarily, agricultural lands and currently resembles a typical agricultural drain. This area has several access culverts, some of which are perched. It is proposed that the culverts be lowered and resized, where required, to match the proposed grades of the upstream and downstream channel including embedment). |
An
existing ditch running east from Ashton Station Road has historically provided
outlet for local surface water, particularly a portion of Ashton Station
Road. However, obstructions and insufficient
outlet within the existing ditch is affecting drainage of local lands and
roads, and has resulted in flooding of surrounding lands and road maintenance
issues for the City and Township of Beckwith.
Under
Section 5(1) of the Drainage Act, Council considered the petition and
chose to appoint an Engineer to prepare a preliminary report to determine an
approximate cost estimate of the drainage works.
DISCUSSION
The Drainage Act prescribes the process and timelines that must be followed in response to a petition for drainage works. Following is a list of steps taken to date and the steps in the process for the Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain.
Steps Taken To Date:
1. Council appointment of a Drainage Engineer to prepare a Preliminary Engineer’s Report (25 June 2008);
2. Meeting with regulatory agencies to review the proposed modifications (25 November 2008);
3. Submission of the Preliminary Engineer's Report to the City Clerk (December 2010);
Current Step:
· Conduct a Meeting to Consider - The meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to consider the Preliminary Engineer’s Report (02 June 2011)
Should Council approve the Committee recommendation to proceed with a final Engineer’s Report, the following steps will be undertaken:
1. Preparation of the Engineer’s Final Report;
2. Submission of the Engineer's Report to the City Clerk;
3. Conduct a Meeting to Consider - The meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to consider the Engineer’s Report;
4. Council approval of the Committee recommendation and first and second reading of the By-law (subject to the outcome of the Meeting to Consider and associated appeals process);
5. Convene a Court of Revision - A meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee where landowners may appeal their assessment. Committee may direct the Engineer to revise the assessment contained in the report. All affected landowners must then be advised of any revisions and the provisions under the Drainage Act for further appeal of their assessment;
6. Third reading of the By-law at Council;
7. Only following the recommended works proceeding through the approval process, would construction activity occur. At this time, staff anticipates that the necessary construction work of the drainage works would begin in 2012; and
8. Assessment of the costs to benefiting landowners and road authorities in 2014.
This report places the Preliminary Engineer’s Report before the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee as the Meeting to Consider, as required by the Drainage Act. The period for filing the Engineer's Report was extended under Section 39(1) of the Drainage Act by a Council resolution on 10 December 2008. As such, the submission and consideration of this report conforms to this timeline.
In
consultation with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), the
Council-appointed Drainage Engineer is proposing to restore the functionality
of the existing ditch through the replacement of the non-functioning or
undersized culverts and the removal of several beaver dams within the ditch
itself. The beaver dams have caused the
overall condition of the ditch to deteriorate considerably, resulting in
significant impacts on surrounding lands, more particularly Ashton Station
Road. There may also be some minor
channel cleaning and channel reshaping.
The intent of the drainage works is to relieve the
area of nuisance flooding and obstructions in the existing ditch to allow for
adequate drainage, and to reduced maintenance of Ashton Station Road while
minimizing impacts on the Provincially-Significant Wetlands in the area.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
The RVCA has been consulted on the project from the outset and was provided with a draft copy of the Preliminary Engineer's report. The RVCA’s concerns relate primarily to potential impact on Provincially-Significant Wetlands and fish habitat. Additional information to assess permit/regulatory requirements with regard to any minor channel cleaning or reshaping will be provided with the Final Engineer’s Report.
Some
of the lands along Ashton Station Road are designated Provincially-Significant
Wetland and Rural Natural Feature under the Official Plan. The road authorities are seeking permanent
legal and sufficient outlet for excess surface water through the Drainage
Act.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
The Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain works will provide legal and sufficient outlet for a portion of Ashton Station Road.
CONSULTATION
The RVCA was consulted on the project and provided with a copy of the Preliminary Engineer's Report on 25 November 2008. Comments were received on 12 January 2009.
A meeting between representatives of the City of Ottawa and the Township of Beckwith was held on 13 August 2008, including the City of Ottawa Councillor for Ward 21, the Reeve and the CAO for the Township of Beckwith.
It
was agreed by all parties that a Preliminary Engineer’s Report, under the Drainage
Act, was the preferred approach to this petition.
COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR
The local Councillor has been consulted and is in support of the report.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
City operational staff have advised legal counsel in the Corporate
Development and Environmental Law Branch that the general description of the
proposed works for the Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain as set out in this report
are the same as the drainage works that the drainage engineer is recommending
as part of “Solution #2” in the preliminary engineer’s report dated November
2010 (the “Engineer’s Report”). The
following is an excerpt from Section 9.0 entitled Estimated Total Cost of
Recommended Solution on page 8 of the Engineer’s Report:
The cost of this solution [Solution #2], including the required
Engineer’s Report, Fish Habitat and Fish Community Assessment Report,
Inspection, Administration, and Construction cost is $180,000. This Solution is
considered to be the most cost effective for the intended purpose, it should
receive Agency approval and will provide a reasonable level of drainage for
Ashton Station Road as well as providing some relief for upstream property
owners.
The proposed distribution of costs would be 90% to the City of Ottawa
road authority, 5% to the Township of Beckwith road authority and 5% to the
property owners in the watershed.
On the basis that the $180,000 cost estimate provided by the drainage
engineer includes the cost of all works and studies required to satisfy all
Agency requirements associated with the drainage works (on page 1 of Engineer’s
Report, the drainage engineer lists the agencies that are included in the term
“Agency”), there are no legal/risk management impediments to implementing the
recommendation in this report.
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
The proposed works meet several objectives set out in the Council’s 2007 - 2010 Strategic Plan. Once implemented, improvements to the Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain will provide a cost-effective solution that balances environmental protection and public safety.
TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no
implications.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
The estimated cost of the drainage works, including the costs of the Preliminary Engineer's Report and final Engineer’s Report is $180,000.
Project costs have
and will be paid initially by the City of Ottawa and will be recovered through
assessments/recoveries to the benefiting landowners. Funds have been identified in the 2011 Rate
Capital Budget in internal order 902960 Municipal Drains Improvements.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 - Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain Location Plan
Document 2 - Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain Work Area Plan
A copy of the Preliminary
Engineer's Report has been provided to all Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Committee Members.
DISPOSITION
Upon approval by Council, the City Drainage Superintendent will:
- Proceed with the appointment of a Drainage Engineer;
- Proceed with the preparation of an Engineer’s Report; and
- Notify all affected landowners and neighbouring municipalities of the decision of Council.
DOCUMENT 1
Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain Location Plan
DOCUMENT 2
Upper Dowdall Municipal Drain Work Area Plan
