Toronto launches $3B project to improve water quality in Lake Ontario and city's waterways
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
1st phase of project to cost $400M will commence in the new year and completed in 2024
Desmond Brown · CBC News · Posted: Dec 14, 2019 5:22 PM ET | Last Updated: December 14
Mayor John Tory and Coun. Jennifer McKelvie (Ward 25, Scarborough-Rouge Park), are joined by two city engineers at the launch of the significant storm water management program. (Michael Charles Cole)
City officials have launched Toronto's largest and most significant storm water management program — the Don River and Central Waterfront and Connected Project — which will halt the flow of sewage into Lake Ontario and clean up waterways.
The first phase of the five-phase project — the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel — will see a 10.5 kilometre long and 6.3 metre wide tunnel built at a cost of $400 million. The overall project is expected to cost $3 billion.
"Currently, when a major storm hits our city... and dumps huge quantities of rain water onto the city… the wastewater system goes into overdrive to prevent major flooding," Mayor John Tory said Saturday.
As the water rushes in, Tory said, the system pushes wastewater overflows into the rivers and into Lake Ontario when it reaches a certain threshold.
Tory said the city was faced with the "difficult and unacceptable choice" of excess wastewater rushing back up through the sewer system and into people's basements, or allowing it to go into in Lake Ontario.
"Both of those alternatives are obviously unacceptable, but the choice was made to have the tainted water go into the lake," he said.
"I could not and do not accept continuing on with this being the only way in which we can handle wastewater, which is why I committed to a new dramatically accelerated plan to stop the practise of having this tainted water go into the lake."
A section of a tunnel where water-sewer overflows captured during significant rainfall will be stored for treatment. (Michael Charles Cole/CBC)
Back in 1987, the International Joint Commission, guided by the Boundaries Waters Treaty, identified Toronto's waterfront as one of the 43 polluted areas of concern in the Great Lakes basin, with the Don River and inner harbour being particularly polluted by combined sewer outflows.
Plans put in place by previous administrations over the years said that by 2038, waste water dumped into the lake would finally be as close to zero.
"I just felt that was far too long," Tory said, adding his goal is to make that a reality in about half the time — within 10 years.
This morning, we launched the start of tunnel boring for the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel in an effort to make changes that will keep our lake and beautiful waterfront clean and safe for generations to come.
The complete Don River and Central Waterfront Tunnel System will include a 22-kilometre tunnel system consisting of three integrated tunnels, 12 wet weather flow storage shafts along the tunnels, 12 connection points to the tunnels for storm water and combined sewer overflows, seven offline storage tanks and the technology necessary to regulate the flows inside the city's sewer system.
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Taxonomy
- Infrastructure Management
- Bridge & Tunnel Construction
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Water conveyance tunnels