DIG CAREFULLY GARDNERS WARNED OF UNDERGROUND UTILITIES {page 29}
GEEK CHIC
EISENBERG TALKS ABOUT HIS SEX LIFE AND MORE {pages 18}
OTTAWA
Thursday, June 9, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
City to call off water ban early
Cover. Girl
City investigating new ways to ease the hardship on south end residents Respecting water ban remains crucial
Herieth Paul is being compared to Naomi Campbell JOE LOFARO/METRO
Ottawa student makes front cover Ottawa teen Herieth Paul shows off her photo in April’s issue of Elle Canada magazine in anticipation of seeing her photo on the next issue’s cover. Story, page 3.
The outdoor-water-use ban imposed on Ottawa’s south end will be lifted sooner than expected — July 15 — city officials say. And they add that date could still be moved up and there may be more good news to come. Contractors have been working extended hours to repair the failed Woodroffe Avenue water main that prompted the ban, Mayor Jim Watson said. Pipe material has arrived on schedule or sooner, and workers haven’t come across any surprises as they move the soil required to lay all 908 metres of the pipe, officials say. A new bypass line has also been put in place to add extra capacity to the line already being used to supply the south end, and so far residents have been respecting the ban, keeping water demand in check. “Things have been going extremely well,” said Wayne Newell, director of infrastructure services. Newell said extra monetary incentives have been built into the repair contract to encourage a quick turnaround. He said the
“Over the course of the next couple of days tests will be done and if we can give residents and business more latitude, that will be done,” MAYOR JIM WATSON AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD YESTERDAY
majority of the pipe has been put in place and now all that remains for construction of the new main are custom made “closure pieces” that connect longer sections of pipe together. Overall, he said, the repair project will likely cost in the neighbourhood of $5 million, while mitigation programs like pool top-ups and rain-barrel rebates have been budgeted at about $2 million. Coun. Steve Desroches cautioned that the final phase of the repair project — involving pressure testing and water-safety tests won’t happen in plain sight. “Residents will not see a lot of activity at the site. This does not mean work is not taking place.” SEAN MCKIBBON