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Further to Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report DIR08-170, on September 4, CBC reported that Ottawa will spend $100 million from three levels of government to upgrade the city’s sewage system and help prevent human waste from fouling the Ottawa River. Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien announced on September 3 that the City will put $35 million of the provincial infrastructure money promised last week by the Ontario Government. In addition, Ottawa city council will be asked to put in $32 million of municipal money to make up the balance. The federal government announced on September 3 that it would put a total of $33 million toward the project. Mayor O’Brien estimated that cleaning up the river will take 10 years and that fixing Ottawa’s sewage system for good would cost $600 million and take years.
(Source: CBC, 3 September 2008)
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CBC reported that on September 2, Environment Canada announced several millions more for Ottawa’s sewage system.  The government will put $3 million toward a $9-million upgrade to several sewage gates this fall.  The federal government will also commit a total of $33 million to a future $100-million project that would prevent raw sewage from being released into the Ottawa River. The upgrades would separate sanitary and storm sewers, which are currently joined and cause the system to often overload during heavy rains.  To prevent sewage from backing up into people’s homes, the system is designed to allow it to flow into the river via valves that open during storms and close again after.  Valves that were stuck open were blamed for a number of raw sewage spills.
(Source: CBC, 2 September 2008)
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Further to Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report DIR08-165, on September 2, the Manitoba Water Stewardship issued a flood warning for portion of the southern Interlake from Ashern to Gypsumville. A flood watch had been issued for this area on September 1. A flood watch was also issued for Lake St. Martin. Most of the warning and watch area received 75 millimetres of rain during the past few days with localized amounts near 100 millimetres. Provincial Road 513 is overtopped in three locations near Big Bend northeast of Gypsumville but is still passable. Many homes are experiencing basement flooding due to seepage and some are surrounded by water. Manitoba Water Stewardship further reports that Lake St. Martin has risen to flood stage due to the heavy rains. High water conditions and localized flooding problems also continue in other portions of the Interlake, particularly in the Regional Municipalities (R.M.) of Armstrong and Bifrost as well as in portions of the R.M. of Gimli. A few homes are reported to be surrounded by water due to the heavy downpours on September 2.
(Source: Manitoba Water Stewardship, 1–2 September 2008)
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Canada’s ice shelves suffered massive erosion over the summer, losing almost one-quarter of their area, researchers have found.

The disintegration will have an effect on local ecosystems, the researchers said. The Serson ice shelf, for example, had been damming a large freshwater lake, which is now threatened.

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Canada’s preparedness to deal with major national disasters and emergencies “gives new meaning to the word ‘discouraging,’” says a report released Tuesday by the Senate’s committee on national security and defence.

Canadian governments have failed to treat major human and natural disasters, like the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 1985 Air India bombing, as the major wake-up calls that they should have been, the report says.Source article:

On September 2, CBC reported that heavy rain on August 30–31 washed out roads and flooded basements in parts of Nova Scotia. In Cape Breton, a section of Route 19 in Inverness County remained closed and there was damage to MacLeod’s Bridge at Dunvegan. Route 19 between Shore Road and Inverness was also closed. In Pictou County, some businesses in downtown New Glasgow were flooded. Federal agriculture officials are expected to tour farm areas already suffering from a summer of rain, where some farmers say they’ve lost up to $400,000 worth of crops.
(Source: CBC, 2 September 2008)
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This is a friendly reminder to all to have a look at what you have made available on your websites.  While it is nice show people what water and wastewater treatment plants are all about, we have to be careful not to give away information that could potentially used against us.  I have seen sites that give a real 360 degree tour of such important areas as control rooms and pump stations.  Such real tours could allow a potential adversary to acquire important information that could be used to aid a break-in or other activity.  So, take a few minutes and research yourself to make sure you are showing what you want to show.

On August 26, CBC reported that heavy rains flooded part of the Yukon’s North Klondike Highway, which remained closed Tuesday morning between Carmacks and Braeburn. The recent rainfall caused flooding at Kilometre 342, affecting a 75-kilometre stretch of the highway. Territorial highway crews began work at the site on August 25 using pumps and heavy equipment to repair the road. Also, the Yukon’s Highways and Public Works Department reported that fog on the morning of August 26 reduced visibility on the South Klondike Highway, near the Yukon–Alaska border.
(Source: CBC, 26 August 2008)
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On August 25, CBC reported that farmers in Manitoba’s Interlake region are trying to salvage what’s left of their crops after heavy rain in the past few days has caused flooding in much of the area. Two roads were flooded and virtually every ditch and culvert was filled with water in the Bifrost area, about 100 kilometres north of Winnipeg, after a storm system moved out of the area. A flood warning issued for the Interlake area late last week ended, but overland flooding was expected to continue. The Interlake received above-average rainfall in both May and June, and received twice the average in July, which left the ground saturated and water levels high in the area even before the weekend storm. The storm dropped more than 106 millimetres of rain in some areas. Manitoba’s Agriculture Minister announced the launch of a forage assistance program to help cattle producers access feed supplies for their animals.
(Source: CBC, 25 August 2008)
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On August 21, the Manitoba Water Stewardship’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre issued a flood watch for the Interlake Region of Manitoba, which could be elevated to a flood warning on August 22, depending on updated rainfall forecasts. A strong storm system, on its way to Manitoba from Saskatchewan and Montana, could produce heavy rainfall from August 21 to 23. The Interlake Region, which has already received above-average rainfall this year, may be hardest hit, with a possibility of 50–100 millimetres of rain, according to Environment Canada forecasts. The rain could produce heavy runoff and extensive overland flooding of low-lying areas. The combination of high lake levels, wind and wave action could also cause flooding of low-lying areas near the lakes. Residents were advised to take necessary precautions to protect properties from flooding. The storm may also produce heavy rain for the Westman Region and portions of the Assiniboine River watershed. A flood warning issued for the Winnipeg River in eastern Manitoba on July 22 remains in effect, although levels there have started to decline.
(Source: Manitoba Water Stewardship, 21 August 2008)
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