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Environmental Strategy |
3.2.2 Program Planning
In addition to these strategic plans and strategies, the City has a number
of environmental programs and initiatives that have been implemented or are
underway. Here is a brief summary of current City environmental initiatives
along with a description as to how they contribute to the strategic directions
of the Environmental Strategy. The programs are organized by broad resource
categories of energy, water, waste and greenspace. It is important to note that
all these projects demonstrate leadership in the responsible management of our
activities to apply more sustainable practices, one of our strategic commitments.
Many of these programs were initiated prior to amalgamation while others have
been initiated more recently, acting upon the opportunities presented through
amalgamation.
Energy
The following energy-related initiatives contribute primarily to achieving
the objectives of the Air Quality and Climate Change Plan, a plan that
aims to both maintain and improve the air quality for our residents and our
neighbours and to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. All
of these initiatives contribute to the strategic commitments To Reduce our
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and To Manage our Resources Efficiently and Effectively.
- Co-generation Facility at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre:
Methane produced by the anaerobic digestion process of sludge from the wastewater
treatment process fuels a cogeneration facility that produces both electricity
and heat. The plant has been operational since 1998 and is expected to pay
for itself by 2004 through annual electricity savings of approximately $650,000.
This plant uses a by-product of wastewater treatment, one that would otherwise
have been considered a "waste", to provide heat and electricity
and to reduce our GHG emissions.
- Building Retrofit Program: Over the past few years, the City has
undertaken a program to retrofit 49 City buildings to become more energy efficient.
This work includes upgrading lighting, converting to high efficiency boilers
and shifting to automated building controls and water flow control devices.
Current energy savings are approximately $250,000 per year with future savings
projected to reach $1,000,000 per year.
- Feasibility Study for Co-generation facility at Trail Road Landfill:
The potential exists to produce electricity through a co-generation plant
at the City's solid waste facility, the Trail Road Landfill site. Landfill
gas that is collected on site would fuel the plant to produce approximately
5 Megawatts of green power. This would be enough energy to serve approximately
3,000 homes.
- Transportation Master Plan (TMP): Council adopted this Plan in September
2003 as a supporting plan to the City's Official Plan. The TMP provides direction
for management of the City's transportation infrastructure. Many of the TMP's
objectives are environmentally focused, including: minimizing the impacts
of transportation on the natural and social environments, minimizing road
infrastructure costs, reductions to individual trip numbers and length, promoting
alternatives to travel, introduction of low emission/clean-powered buses and
light rail vehicles and expansion of the rapid transit network.
- Feasibility Study for District Energy System: The City of Ottawa
and Energy Ottawa are exploring the potential feasibility of establishing
a district energy system that would provide heating and cooling services to
large buildings in downtown Ottawa. Such systems are considered sustainable
because the benefits include economic savings to the participants and local
spending to obtain the energy services, more reliable systems and reduced
overall resource consumption (less loss of energy due to transmission) and
decreased production of greenhouse gases.
- Transportation Demand Management Strategy: This strategy outlines
the initiatives to be directed at all sectors of the community to facilitate
and encourage alternatives to the use of a single occupancy vehicle. Alternatives
range from transit, cycling, walking to trip reduction initiatives such as
telecommuting, ride-sharing and job-sharing.
Waste Management
Current City waste management initiatives contribute to both the Air Quality
and Climate Change Plan and the Integrated Waste Management Master Plan. Strategic
commitments addressed by these projects are similar to those of our energy conservation
projects - To Manage our Resources Efficiently and Effectively and To Reduce
our Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
- Residential Recycling Program: An expanded residential recycling
program has been in place within our municipality since the early 1990's.
Materials such as newspapers, cans, glass, cardboard, other paper and a full
range of plastics are collected at the curb. Containers are placed in a blue
box and paper materials in a black box, each of which is collected every two
weeks on alternate week schedules. Once collected, the materials are sorted
further for re-use to create new products such as newspaper, mats, plastic
boxes and even fleece shirts. This program, combined with leaf and yard waste
collection, is responsible for diverting approximately 34% of materials from
going to landfill.
- Compost Plus Pilot Project: Since October 2001, four City wards have
participated in this pilot project. Residents place all materials that can
be composted at the curb every two weeks. The mix of wastes such as all food
materials, grass clippings, etc. are then transported to be composted at the
Trail Road Facility. Should the program be successful, it will be expanded
to other residents and will help our community divert more material from going
to landfill.
- Household Hazardous Waste Depot: A permanent depot is set up at Trail
Road to accept hazardous waste materials that need special handling for responsible
disposal. These materials include old paint cans, antifreeze, turpentine,
disinfectants, pesticides, and other chemicals no longer required. Mobile
units are also set up throughout the City on an annual basis to make it easier
for residents to carefully dispose these items.
- Take It Back! Program - Take it Back! provides further convenience
to residents who wish to dispose of hazardous materials. More than 360 local
retailers have committed to take back products that they sell and dispose
of them responsibly. A directory of participating retailers and the products
they accept helps residents use this service. Products accepted range from
automotive parts, tires and fluids, electronics, batteries, pharmaceuticals
and needles, packaging and household items.
Water
Water is a resource that is valued highly and yet sometimes taken for granted.
Our city already has in place many initiatives to protect and enhance our plentiful
water resources. These projects contribute to the strategic commitments - To
Incorporate Environmental Factors Into Our Decision-Making and Programs and
To Take An Ecosystem Management Approach - that will also form the basis
of the Water Environment Strategy and Groundwater Management Strategy.
- Sewer Use Program: This program was established in the early 1990's
to ensure that quality of industrial wastewater discharged to sanitary and
storm sewers meets limits set in the municipality's Sewer Use Control By-Law.
The intent of the by-law is to prevent pollution from being generated at source.
By requiring sewer discharges to meet standards, this program helps protect
the integrity of the City's sewer collection system and wastewater treatment
plant as well as help provide a higher quality of effluent and biosolids product
from the wastewater treatment system.
- Rural Clean Water Program: This program offers financial incentives
to rural residents to encourage them to implement rural and agricultural best
management practices that will help protect and improve surface and ground
water quality. Eligible projects include agricultural waste management, soil
conservation and shoreline protection, and septic system repair.
- Water Environment Protection Program: The City's Water Environment
Protection program assesses the state of surface watersheds and coordinates
initiatives to preserve and improve our surface water environment. Twenty-two
creeks and three rivers in the City are monitored to determine the current
state of surface water quality and to assess changes in water quality over
time. As sources of pollution are identified, City staff initiate corrective
action and coordinate action plans with conservation authorities and provincial
and federal agencies. The City helps set priorities for future water initiatives
such as the development of storm water treatment facilities.
- Subwatershed Planning: Subwatershed planning is an integrated, ecosystem
approach to land-use planning based on the boundaries of a subwatershed. Subwatershed
studies examine the natural-environment features, such as the river and associated
tributaries, groundwater resources and the aquatic and terrestrial (woodlands,
wetlands) habitats. The resulting Plans attempt to balance environmental protection,
conservation and restoration with development and other land-use practices
to ensure long-term, ecological sustainability of the watershed and its significant
natural resources. To date, either the City or the Conservation Authority
has completed subwatershed/watershed plans for Upper Poole Creek, Sawmill
Creek, Jock River, Shirley's Brook and Watts Creek. Studies soon to be complete
include Carp River, Shields Creek and Lower Rideau while the Jock River Reach
2 and Mud Creek subwatershed study will be conducted in 2004. City subwatersheds
are identified on Map 1.
- Water Efficiency: In Ottawa, residents pay for the water that they
use. Although we have access to an abundant supply, conserving water use reduces
City energy use and also saves money by deferring the need to expand our water
treatment facilities. The Water Efficiency program encourages residents to
use water wisely and to reduce peak usage by shifting the times they usually
use water. Information provided includes tips on water efficiency for indoor
(kitchen, laundry, bathrooms) and outdoor (the water-efficient garden, how
to make a rain barrel, when and how to water lawns) home use.
- Pesticide Reduction Strategy: On its own property, the City implemented
a policy in early 2001 to prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes.
In 2003, the City initiated a community-based program to encourage residents,
businesses and large property owners to reduce their use of pesticides for
cosmetic purposes. Efforts include workshops, community grants for education
and demonstration projects, offer of horticultural advice, work with large
landowners and lawn care service providers and provision of information on
alternatives to pesticide use. Reductions in target use of 70% on residential
properties, 65% on commercial/industrial lands and 100% on institutional sites,
relative to 2002, are to be met by 2005.
- Salt Management Strategy: The City uses road salt (crushed rock salt-
Sodium Chloride) for snow and ice control on roads to ensure public safety.
Salt lowers the freezing point of snow and ice to prevent the formation of
slippery road conditions. In large quantities, salt can damage roadside vegetation
and contaminate surface and groundwater. The Salt Management Strategy provides
an approach for engaging a variety of winter maintenance technologies such
as establishing a Road Weather Information System (RWIS), forecasting of road-conditions,
investigating and adopting technologies such as pre-wetting and anti-icing
and researching alternative methods and products. These activities help decrease
the quantity of salt used.
- Greenspace Management: Communities throughout Ottawa have strongly
voiced their desire and need to maintain, enhance and increase or improve
the greenspace within our city, particularly within the urban boundaries.
This desire is reflected in our strategic commitments To Take An Ecosystem
Management Approach to support natural systems and To Manage Our Resources
Efficiently And Effectively. A well-placed and functioning network of
greenspaces can also help us To Reduce Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Many policies to protect natural spaces are outlined in the City's Official
Plan. A few are noted while others will be refined and developed with the
preparation of the Greenspace Master Plan, the Forest Strategy and the Biodiversity
Strategy.
- Green Acres Program: The City of Ottawa's Green Acres Program identifies
idle agricultural fields that can be transformed into thriving woodlands.
The program provides landowners with advice and assistance in setting up a
proper planting plan for their properties and a source of suitable planting
stock in the form of high quality, genetically appropriate, and cost effective
bare root seedlings.
- Forest and Park Management: The City actively manages over 850 parks
and 10,000 acres of forest throughout the City. Detailed management plans
have been prepared for specific areas such as the Marlborough, Torbolton,
Carp Hills & Pinhey and LongSwamp forests.
- Integrated Environmental Review: Integrated Environmental Review
is required for all subdivisions, major site plans and major rezoning applications
to ensure that the interconnections between findings of supporting studies
to development (i.e. tree preservation and protection plans, stormwater site
management plans, serviceability studies) are identified and any inconsistencies
addressed through revision of the supporting studies and/or the development
design. A statement must be prepared reporting on the results of the review,
how the development design has been modified to reflect the review results,
and on the consistency of the application with the Official Plan policy requirements
for review of development applications. In addition to greenspace, the Review
will be expected to balance address management of water and material resources
in such areas as site contamination, waste management and energy use.
Future proposed activities to enable the City to meet its strategic commitments
have been identified through a review of our current environmental status and
through learning from the experiences of other municipalities as a result of
the City's environmental management best practices research. For example, the
City will pursue the development of an environmental purchasing policy, similar
to that of Richmond, British Columbia. Whistler, British Columbia's LEED Green
Building Rating System is also being carefully considered, as is Winnipeg's
requirement for environmental design criteria in request for proposals for new
building developments.
Next: 3.3 Connecting the Goals to City Services
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