September 22, 2005
PICKERING -- A sanitary backup in Amberlea caused by last month's big storm has Pickering hoping a worst-case scenario isn't its reality.
The home, which City staff found had a cross connection with its pipes, had a sewage backup during the storm Aug. 19. When Region and City staff went out investigate, they found the pipes had been hooked up wrong.
Pickering chief executive officer Tom Quinn said the affected home was fixed Tuesday, so the issue now becomes figuring out why the sewage backup happened and if the pipes in any other homes in the area have the same problem.
"There was a cross connection, but I don't know if that was happening all the time or if it was because of a surcharge," Mr. Quinn said.
Ward 1 Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner brought up the issue, which he learned about Sunday, in other business at Monday's council meeting.
He said he had a similar cross connection problem when he lived in the same subdivision 20 years ago, prompting him to wonder if the City was dealing with the worse-case scenario of all the pipes having been hooked up wrong for that phase of the subdivision.
Mr. Quinn believes if that were the case, which would mean raw sewage has been making its way into Lake Ontario for 25 years, someone would have noticed sooner.
"There would have been other issues," he said. "I'm not led to believe that right now."
Mr. Quinn was to meet with senior staff, after which he said he would have more information and be able to update council on the situation.
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