HYDRO OTTAWA RESPONSES TO KATIMAVIK-HAZELDEAN POWER OUTAGE
Below are the responses I received from Hydro Ottawa to some of the questions I raised on the power outage last week.
Responses to Outages in Katimavik
Councillor Feltmate, below are the answers to your questions from your email dated July 12th.
- You state the cause of the outage was a broken insulator that caused two wires to come into contact. How common an occurrence is this and are the consequences usually this serious?
- It’s not typical for lines to come together but when they do the consequences results in the circuit breaker opening. This is for the protection of equipment and safety of the public. In the past 5 years we average 15 insulator failures a year, and very few cause lines to come together. We have tens of thousands of insulators in our system.
- Insulators have typically a life expectancy of 40 years and usually fail due to deterioration from exposure to the elements such as heat, cold, sun, rain, freezing and, mechanical stress from wind.
- What measures are being taken to address the specific cause of the outage or reduce the impact of further similar incidents?
- As for prevention, we have an ongoing asset management plan which we use to monitor equipment lifespan and to proactively determine planned equipment maintenance and replacement. Additionally, crews are always on the lookout for signs of deterioration when they are working in close proximity to the insulators. In the past we have encountered problems with specific brands of insulators and we have completed replacements on these brands in Gloucester, Kanata and Nepean.
I trust that you will find this information helpful.
Thank you,
Therese Williams
Executive Assistant
Construction & Maintenance
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DEBATE ON HOLDING ZONE A REMINDER THAT INTERESTS OF RESIDENTS AND DEVELOPERS ARE VERY DIFFERENT
The Holding Zone on lands served by the Hazeldean Pumping Station is intended to reduce the risk of sanitary sewer back-ups. For people living in Kanata and Stittsville it is a no-brainer. After the problems with flooding in our communities, the City should be doing what it can to protect residents.
For developers it is a different story. When the City’s Planning and Environment Committee discussed the Holding Zoning, spokespeople for Urbandale, Richcraft, and Mattamy spoke in opposition to the recommendation. The holding zone will delay when they are able to develop their lands so their opposition is not surprising.
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KATIMAVIK - HAZELDEAN POWER OUTAGE UPDATE
After outages of one and a half to six hours long, people in Katimavik - Hazeldean deserve an explanation. More importantly, they deserve assurances that action will be taken to fix the problems that led to the outages. I have requested Hydro Ottawa provide both. I will let you know as I receive additional information. |
COMPLETING THE TRANSITWAY BETWEEN PINECREST AND THE SOUTHWEST TRANSITWAY
Earlier this year an Open House was held as the first step in the work to complete the transitway between Pinecrest and where the Southwest Transitway. Closing this gap in the transitway means that buses will speed up travel time by providing a more direct route and allowing buses to avoid traffic congestion east of Bayshore. Display boards from that Open House can be found here.
The next step will be an open house on route options. I will be posting details as soon as they are available. |
CITY EMERGENCY PLANS
At the recent meeting on the investigation into the July 24, 2009 flooding, there were questions about how the City will be responding to emergency situations. Below is background information I received from John Ash, the Chief of Integrated Public Safety, for the City.
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DETAILS OF PHASE TWO OF FLOODING INVESTIGATION AVAILABLE
At the public meeting on May 19th, details of the results of phase two of the Glen Cairn portion of the investigation into the flooding that took place on July 24, 2009 were presented to the public. The display boards can be found here and the presentation can be found here.
The next step is confirming what measures are required to address the causes of the flooding. Some measures, like installing inlet flow control devices, have already been identified. Work on these measures is starting this summer. |
RESPONDING TO THE FIRE AT 74 STONEHAVEN
I would like to thank both people in the community and City staff for their response to the fire in Bridlewood at 74 Stonehaven. What I heard when I visited Stonehaven Manor and spoke to people living nearby made me very proud to represent Kanata South on Council. People came together to help neighbours who were forced out of their homes or make sure there were no problems with things like sparks from the fire.
There have been a number of construction fires recently. As we saw with the fire at 74 Stonehaven, when major fires occur close to existing homes, there are safety concerns.
At the Community and Protective Services Committee I submitted an inquiry about the causes and what can be done in response. If there are ways to reduce the number and severity of these fires, the City of Ottawa needs to be taking action. |
FUNDS FOR SOLUTIONS TO FLOODING PROBLEMS APPROVED WITH WATER AND SEWER BUDGET
Included in the water and sewer budget passed last week was $4 million to start work on measures to reduce the chance of flooding in Kanata and Stittsville. Work being done this year includes installation of inlet control devices and sealing of access covers to help deal with the problem of storm water getting into the sanitary sewer system.
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ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I WILL BE RETIRING NEXT ELECTION
On February 5th, I announced that I will not be running for re-election as councillor. Between being councillor and executive director of the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, I have been working for Kanata for 22 years. With the birth of my grandson last June, I decided that, when my term on council expires, working for the community needs to become a part-time, volunteer activity.
The complete text of the media release I sent out can be found here. |
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