Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien has announced an independent review of the spillage of 1.2 billion litres of raw sewage into the Ottawa River in the summer of 2006 — an incident that has recently been blamed for fouling an east end beach.

O'Brien called reporters into his office Friday afternoon and said he was calling the review because he believes public confidence in the city has been shaken as a result of the spill.

"All of us believe strongly that the safety of the public and, as importantly, the faith the the public has in their municipal government have to be our highest priorities," he said.

The sewage was flushed into the river when a faulty sewage system valve got stuck open at Keefer Street after a storm. Water treatment workers and officials found out about the problem two weeks later, informed the Ministry of the Environment and fixed the valve.

However, they did not inform other departments in the city, as it was not part of their protocol.

That summer, Petrie Island beach was closed to swimmers for 45 days because of bacterial contamination, and the city commissioned a costly study to determine the cause.

O'Brien said an investigator for the review has not yet been chosen, its budget has not been set and its mandate will be "wide open."

When asked if anyone could be fired as a result, O'Brien responded, "I would not rule out anything at this point."