Public Asked to Conserve Water, Reduce Sewer Use Due to Equipment Failure

Published on: 2019/06/06 - in Releases

RELEASE — Utilities Kingston is asking citizens in City Central to conserve water and reduce sewer use after equipment failure at the River Street Pumping Station. Residents should also take steps to protect their basements from flooding.

“We are appealing to the public to conserve water and reduce sewer use to help reduce overflows and protect the environment,” says Jim Keech. “All hands are on deck to assess the situation and then make repairs as quickly as possible. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of this issue, as well as protecting personal property.” The affected area is in City Central, from the Cataraqui River, west to the Little Cataraqui Creek, and north to Highway 401.

UPDATE: Utilities Kingston reported at approximately 7pm that the pumping station was back in service and asked the public to continue to conserve water and reduce sewer use overnight. Earlier this morning it confirmed water use can resume as normal.

Original article continued:

Sewage is currently being directed away from the station and is being collected in a storage tank, just upstream of the River Street Pump Station, in Emma Martin Park. This large tank has a ~12,000 cubic metre capacity. Sewage is partially-treated by the tank, via settling and screening.

The tank has exceeded capacity, and partially treated sewage is overflowing. While Utilities Kingston is taking steps to prevent environmental impacts, the utility is appealing to the public to help reduce the impact.

Steps to reduce sewer use:

  • Use cottage rules for flushing
  • Wait to shower, wash clothes or run the dishwasher until this issue is repaired to lessen the burden on the sanitary system.
  • Delay washing cars
  • Every little bit helps: for example, you can turn off the water when you shave or brush your teeth.

Protect your basement from flooding:

  • Reduce household water use
  • If you have a sanitary backwater valve, check it for proper operation
  • Remove high-value items from your basement and put other items into storage bins
  • Learn more at this Utilities Kingston page

Know what to do if your basement has flooded: Entering a wet basement could be hazardous!

Officials from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks are also on site.

Utilities Kingston sewer overflow map as indicated today (click to load)

Combined sewer overflows (CSO) locations are now overflowing. The CSO were intentionally built into the system to help protect basements from flooding.

During normal operation, force mains carry sewage from the River Street Pumping Station to a valve chamber on the east shoreline, up Barriefield Hill to the Ravensview Wastewater Treatment Facility, where wastewater is treated and released to Lake Ontario in the form of natural resource quality water.

Release: Utilities Kingston via City of Kingston