Sewage leak into Ottawa River caused by seal failure, city memo says

A sanitary sewage spill on March 20 resulted in about 42,000 litres of "dilute raw sewage" entering the Ottawa River, the city says.

The spill happened at the R.O. Pickard Environmental Centre, the City of Ottawa's sewage treatment facility, according to a memo sent to city council Monday from Marilyn Journeaux, the city's director of water services.

The spill happened when the Ottawa South Pumping Station was transitioned into wet-weather mode.

"After a thorough investigation, it was determined that a seal failure between the wet well and dry well allowed sewage to escape the process," the memo said.

The seal "will be promptly repaired" and a flood alarm is going to be added at that pumping station.

"Updates to operating procedures and operator training is underway to prevent the reliance on the isolation between the wet and dry wells," the memo said.

This sewage spill comes exactly four months after another, larger spill into the Ottawa River.