Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Project

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About this project

In 2024 and 2025, the City of London will be undertaking construction of a flood protection system at the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant to improve our resiliency to climate change. This work was identified through a Schedule B Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA).

The work is mainly composed of building an earth berm around the perimeter of the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant, along with the construction of new infrastructure inside the plant property

This work will require a significant amount of large construction machinery (i.e., excavators, loaders, dump trucks and cranes). It will impact the surrounding areas and some city amenities will be disrupted.

Impacts:

  1. Trees – In order to complete the flood protection measures, 53 trees are to be removed around the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant. These will be replaced as part of the City’s tree replacement programs.
  2. North London Athletic Fields - It is expected that the work will impact the park along its southern areas near the volleyball courts. The courts should not be impacted. However, the small parking lot nearby will need to be closed for an extended period to accommodate construction and staging. There will also be periods of time where the access road to the fields will be limited. Some delays may be experienced, but no full closures are expected.


Public update meeting

The City is hosting a public update meeting about the Adelaide and Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Projects. Residents are invited to attend and speak with the project team to learn more about the project, ask questions, and share comments.

Date: January 11, 2024

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location: City Hall (300 Dufferin Avenue, 2nd Floor, Committee Room 2

Attendees will be able to access City Hall from the main front doors or the lower-level parking lot doors.



About this project

In 2024 and 2025, the City of London will be undertaking construction of a flood protection system at the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant to improve our resiliency to climate change. This work was identified through a Schedule B Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA).

The work is mainly composed of building an earth berm around the perimeter of the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant, along with the construction of new infrastructure inside the plant property

This work will require a significant amount of large construction machinery (i.e., excavators, loaders, dump trucks and cranes). It will impact the surrounding areas and some city amenities will be disrupted.

Impacts:

  1. Trees – In order to complete the flood protection measures, 53 trees are to be removed around the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant. These will be replaced as part of the City’s tree replacement programs.
  2. North London Athletic Fields - It is expected that the work will impact the park along its southern areas near the volleyball courts. The courts should not be impacted. However, the small parking lot nearby will need to be closed for an extended period to accommodate construction and staging. There will also be periods of time where the access road to the fields will be limited. Some delays may be experienced, but no full closures are expected.


Public update meeting

The City is hosting a public update meeting about the Adelaide and Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Projects. Residents are invited to attend and speak with the project team to learn more about the project, ask questions, and share comments.

Date: January 11, 2024

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location: City Hall (300 Dufferin Avenue, 2nd Floor, Committee Room 2

Attendees will be able to access City Hall from the main front doors or the lower-level parking lot doors.


  • Background

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    The Government of Canada created a $2 billion Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund intended to support large infrastructure projects that, among other things, contribute to the resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of increased risks of damage due to climate change. The City proposed the construction of flood protection at the Adelaide and Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plants as major projects that fit this description, and the City’s proposal was accepted.

    The City of London owns and operates five wastewater treatment plants. The Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 1157 Adelaide Street North, treats approximately 15% of the wastewater produced in London. Wastewater generally flows by gravity to these plants for treatment prior to discharge to the Thames River, and as a result, these plants are situated immediately adjacent to the river in low-lying areas. Many of the essential treatment plant components are located within the floodplain.

    With climate change, the City of London and other communities are experiencing more frequent and intense flooding and wet weather events. Flooding is a concern at the City’s wastewater treatment plants for two main reasons:

    • Damage of treatment plant components, including equipment and tanks, due to inundation of rising river levels at these sites, and
    • Environmental impacts associated with the bypass of untreated or partially treated wastewater for several days following an intense wet weather event.

    Flood barriers, such as berms and floodwalls, are potential approaches to provide flood protection at the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant. A barrier was recently constructed at the Vauxhall Wastewater Treatment Plant.

    Wastewater treatment plants discharge treated water into adjacent watercourse either by gravity or by pumping. During severe flooding, high water levels in the adjacent watercourse prevent gravity discharge. Wastewater treatment plants that rely only on gravity discharge, such as Adelaide, cannot fully function during severe flood events.

    Pumping stations allow treated water to be discharged to watercourses when water levels are too high for gravity drainage. As a result, wastewater treatments plants can fully function during severe flooding which reduces the environmental impacts of these events. For instance, improving treatment capabilities during severe floods supports the City’s commitment to the Lake Erie Domestic Action Plan by reducing phosphorus discharge to the Thames River.

Page last updated: 07 Mar 2024, 01:44 PM