Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - Wastewater Treatment Facilities on Waymarking.com

The Robert O. Pickard Environment Centre:

Sits on 60 hectares (150 acres)
Treats domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater and returns treated water to the Ottawa River
Removes 90 per cent of pollutants from wastewater entering the facility
Operators continually monitor individual treatment processes to improve efficiency and determine future expansions of the facility based on changing sewer and water use patterns.

History:

Originally built in 1962 and called the Green’s Creek Pollution Control Centre
Named for Robert O. Pickard, the retired Commissioner of Works in the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
Mr. Pickard helped initiate an expansion and upgrade of the centre to make it one of the largest treatment facilities in Canada
The upgrades from 1988 to 1993 included a secondary treatment process and the addition of biosolids processing

Odour control:

Odour control systems are used in processing areas that generate foul-smelling gases. The systems pass the gases through activated carbon beds, which absorb the smelly compounds.

In unique situations, sodium hypochlorite can be added to the treatment process as another odour control agent.

Process control:

Protecting the health of the Ottawa River is important part of treating wastewater. Processing of wastewater or sewage is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sensors throughout the plant allow staff to monitor the treatment process and notify them if a problem should arise. The stringent monitoring and testing program ensures that quality targets are met and potential process problems are identified early.

Generating electricity at the Pickard Centre:

As wastewater is treated and processed, digester gases, made up of methane and carbon dioxide are produced. The gas is highly flammable, and in the past was burnt off to avoid explosions. In 1998, a process was added to convert the gases into electricity and heat through a process called cogeneration. The heat and electricity produced is used to run the Pickard Centre.

For addtional information see the report available at the following web address: (visit link)

What is the capacity of the facility?: Average 545 millions litres a day - Peak 1362 million litres a day Describe the biological treatment technology used.: Raw Sewage Pumping Station; Screening and Degrit Facility; Primary Clarification; Secondary Suspended Growth Biological Treatment including fine pore aeration and secondary clarifiers; Chemical Phosphorous Removal using Iron Salts Effluent Disinfection using liquid chlorine; Anaerobic Digestion for Solids Handling; Solids Thickening/Dewatering including WAS thickening and digested sludge dewatering with centrifuges; and Co-Generation Facility. How are biosolids (sludge) managed?: Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) mechanical thickening using 7 centrifuges; 􀂾 Anaerobic Digester using 4 digesters each with an active volume of 8,800 m3, three are active digesters and one acts as a feed tank to the dewatering process; and, Dewatering using What technology is used for disinfection prior to dicharge of treated water?: Chlorine is used during the final disinfectant of treated wastewater Who is the owner/operator fo the facility?: City of Ottawa How is the facility governed?: The facility is managed by a City employee who answers to the Manager, Wastewater and Drainage Services What is the website of the WWTP?: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please post at least 2 original photographs of the site. We would much rather see photos of the plant itself as opposed to the front office, but we also understand that security and site layout may limit your opportunities.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/15/2021 mTn_biKer65 visited it 10/29/2021 Vhoneyman visited it 09/02/2017 Esiban visited it 06/28/2013 tatie visited it 08/04/2012 elyob visited it 02/12/2012 petendot visited it

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