Integrated Sanitary Master Plan

Thank you for your interest, and for mentioning the Wastewater Heat Recovery in Waterloo Region report. 

Wastewater heat recovery is on our radar. We have been working with the Region of Waterloo to identify opportunities for wastewater heat recovery. The Wastewater Heat Recovery in Waterloo Region report provides an overview of the sewer system and identifies the thermal heat recovery potential based on sewage flow. For those not familiar with wastewater heat recovery, it is the process of capturing heat from wastewater as it exits a building, and redirecting it for an alternate use in the building. 

The goal of this project is to provide an efficient and reliable sanitary servicing system throughout the City limits. We will consider climate change impacts through this study. As part of that, we will consider the recommendations of this report as part of our study.

How often do people flush wet wipes? Is there any trends with this to be concerned about? Are certain areas more likely to flush them?

Thank you for your questions. Yes, there is reason to be concerned about the use of so-called flushable wipes. Wet wipes are a problem within municipal wastewater systems when flushed. The City of Kitchener does not record precise data on this issue, although anecdotally, wet wipes are encountered by Operations and Maintenance staff on a regular basis with some catchment areas being more problematic than others.  Some areas of Kitchener’s sewer pipes need to be flushed out more than others, and for some of these hot spot maintenance areas, flushable wipes are one of the factors. For example, staff pulls these wipes out of pumps at Woolner Station 2-3 per week. This is a costly maintenance activity and causes unnecessary wear and tear on the pumps. For context, the Woolner pumps would need to be opened and inspected annually if the wipes were not a factor.

As climate change is wrecking havoc on our climate, how much rain can the sewers handle? What areas are most vulnerable to the sewers becoming overwhelmed? 

Since the early 2000s, the City has run several projects to reduce rainwater infiltration and inflow into the sanitary sewer system. For example, we diverted rainwater from the sanitary sewer system by disconnecting private sump pumps from the sanitary sewer. We redirected the water flow from private foundation sump pumps to the storm sewer system. By taking measures like these, we make the sanitary sewer system more resilient in the face of climate change.

 Depending on the intensity and location of rain events, there may a few cases where we have a sewer back-up due to rain coming into manholes from the roads. It will be through the Integrated Sanitary Master Plan study that we will identify the most vulnerable areas of Kitchener’s sanitary sewer system and provide solutions for these areas.

The study will include modeling and analysis based on monitoring data including rainfall and sewer flow. We will also conduct a sensitivity analysis based on the effects of climate change.

Using the Integrated Sanitary Master Plan, we will manage, fund, and implement improvements to the sanitary sewer system to protect residents and the environment to the 2051 planning horizon.

How has the construction of many new apartment/condo towers affected the sewer mains in the downtown core? 

We have not seen any issues related to capacity as a result of intensification.

Thank you for your question. The Implementation Plan phase of the project will provide recommendations regarding the connection of built-up areas of the City that are currently serviced by septic systems to the sanitary sewer system.

Thank you for your question. The Master Plan will review existing conditions and evaluate planned growth and servicing needs to develop and assess alternative solutions for sanitary servicing. Individual project locations have not been identified at this time. A preferred solution to support planned growth across the City will be identified following a technical review of alternatives with input received from agencies, Indigenous communities and stakeholders.

Thank you for your question.  The City of Kitchener sanitary system includes a variety of systems and infrastructure that have a wide age range of longevity based on when they were installed. Life expectancy is based on many factors including the maintenance history of the various components and the ability to meet the servicing needs of system users. 

The Master Plan will identify recommended projects to address current and future sanitary servicing needs of the community. Recommended projects will be prioritized based on factors including life expectancy, as well as other criteria to be developed as part of this study. 

Thank you for your interest in this project.  

Thank you for your feedback, however this is unrelated to the current project. Your inquiry should be directed to the appropriate department at Waste Management, Region of Waterloo: Ann-Marie Weber, tel: 226-750-4077, TTY 519-575-4608, or by email at: AWeber@regionofwaterloo.ca.