Wastewater is water that has been used and discharged by homes, businesses and industrial sources. It is 99.9 percent water by weight, with a very small portion (0.1 percent) of dissolved and suspended solids.
Before it is returned to the Ottawa River, Wastewater is thoroughly treated at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre to ensure it is safe for the public’s health and the environment. For a detailed description of this treatment process, download our wastewater treatment brochure: Let's Explore Wastewater Treatment.
- Coarse screening/pumping: Wastewater flows to the plant through enormous pipes buried deep in the ground. Once the wastewater arrives at the treatment plant, any object bigger than a shoe gets screened out.
- Fine screening: Screens will catch smaller objects like sticks and rags.
- Grit removal: Degrit tanks separate pebbles, grit and sand from the other solids that can be further treated.
- Removal of settled solids (sludge) and floatable material (scum).
- Naturally occurring bacteria remove dissolved and suspended organic pollutants. Removal of phosphorus takes place by adding a solution of iron to the wastewater. Iron captures the phosphorus, creating a solid that can sink and be separated from the water.
- Before it is finally returned to the Ottawa River, the treated water is first disinfected using sodium hypochlorite, year round.
Protecting the health of the Ottawa River is an important part of treating wastewater. Processing of wastewater or sewage is monitored 24/7. Sensors throughout the plant allow staff to monitor the treatment process and notify them of any problems. The monitoring and testing program ensures quality targets are met and potential process problems are identified early.
Generating electricity at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC)
As wastewater is treated and processed, methane and carbon dioxide are produced. In 1998 a process was added to convert these gases into electricity and heat through a process called cogeneration. Cogeneration produces 5 megawatts of heat and electricity which provides 50% of ROPEC's energy needs on an annual basis. The cogeneration facility produces enough electricity for approximately 1,500 homes.
The Robert O. Pickard Environmental Center meets all provincial guidelines for wastewater effluent as defined by the Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).
Actual volume of wastewater treated at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre
|Capacity (millions of litres/day)||Actual (2018)|