Sewer work smells in Hintonburg

Since Saturday, I've been working with city staff to deal with a few complaints about odour from sewer lining work getting into residents' homes. This morning, the City distributed the following note to the affected areas, with contact info if you have concerns. Of course, you can always contact me as well at jeff.leiper@ottawa.ca. The work has been stopped, and I am looking forward to finding out and reporting back to you why this has happened.

Notice to owner/resident

Sewer Repair and Rehabilitation Work

Contract No. ISD13-3007

CARRUTHERS AVE / SCOTT ST

February 12, 2015

Dear Resident or Homeowner,

The City recently undertook some work as part of the ongoing Sewer Lining Program to rehabilitate older sanitary sewer pipes in your area. The City uses a technology called Cured-In-Place, a no-dig pipe repair that uses a synthetic resin for curing the sewer lining to prevent leaks and cracks. This process usually has minimal disruptions for residents and has been in use for many years in Ottawa and other cities without issue.

However, during the recent activity in your neighbourhood, the City received reports that some residents experienced strong odours or chemical smells in their homes as a result of the sewer lining work. This sewer work has been postponed until the issue can be fully investigated.

If you have experienced odours in your home related to this activity, the City and Ottawa Public Health (OPH) recommend ventilating the area by opening windows or using a fan to disperse the smell.

For additional questions related to this construction activity, residents can contact the Infrastructure Services Project Manager Jeff de Laat at 613-580-2424 ext. 21916.

If you have concerns about your health, please contact Ottawa Public Health’s Information Line at 613-580-6744 from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After hours, call 3-1-1 and ask for the Public Health Officer on-call.

Thank you for your patience as the City and contractor work to address these concerns.