In the coming weeks, Patterson Group Inc. will begin work on expanding the EUC storm water pond behind the Glenview development on Brian Coburn. Nearby residents have asked many questions regarding the work being done, and what to expect, so Melissa Pettem, with Patterson Group, has put together an "Ask and Respond" to help address some residents concerns:
Question 1:
In light of the serious and expensive rehabilitation of the Aquaview SWM Pond is there
any assurance to prevent such occurrence behind the Mercier homes directly affected by the expansion of the pond?
Response:
The presence of silty clay (Leda Clay) at the subject site as well as the proximity of the
existing units on Mercier Road from the proposed pond expansion is acknowledged.
Paterson notes that the presence of this type of sensitive silty clay is not uncommon
across regions within the City of Ottawa. Furthermore, the current standards of practice
for geotechnical design, as well as, the City of Ottawa Guidelines account for these types
of soils and how to address potential risks of slope failures and settlement. Having said
that, Paterson completed a geotechnical review of the proposed EUC pond expansion
based on the latest drawings received from DSEL, taking into account the existing
buildings and roads as well as the grading of the future adjacent residential
developments. The geotechnical review was completed based on the geotechnical
investigation conducted within the subject site, taking into account the presence of the
silty clay layer. The geotechnical review was completed in accordance with the related
City Guidelines for similar developments on these types of soils. Paterson will also be
completing periodic inspections during construction of the pond expansion to confirm that our recommendations are being implemented. Furthermore, Paterson prepared a
Vibration Monitoring and Control Plan (VMCP) for the proposed expansion of the
storm water management pond. Based on our review, and provided Paterson completes
the above noted inspections and vibration monitoring, the design of the proposed pond
expansion is considered acceptable and is not anticipated to have a long-term negative
impact on the neighbouring existing and proposed developments from a geotechnical
perspective.
Question 2:
What is the risk of this shifting soil and related problems happening behind Mercier
homes?
Response:
Based on our geotechnical review of the proposed pond expansion, and provided
Paterson completes periodic inspections during construction to confirm our design
assumptions along with vibration monitoring, long-term impacts of the proposed
expansion on the nearby residential units along Mercier Road are anticipated to be
negligible. Reference should be made to our response to comment 1 above.
Question 3:
What measures have been integrated into the SWM north pond expansion to prevent a
likely or similar situation?
Response:
Paterson will complete periodic inspections during construction of the EUC pond
expansion, to ensure that our recommendations are followed. In addition, Paterson
prepared a Vibration Monitoring and Control Plan (VMCP) for the proposed EUC pond
expansion. Reference should be made to our response to comment 1 above.
In addition to the information provided by Patterson Group above, I also had the opportunity to host a community information session, which included a Q&A portion, that further explained the work being conducted and how residents can expect to be impacted, most notably by vibrations. Should residents feel the vibrations to be excessive or have additional questions, you can reach out Stephanie (SBoisvenue@patersongroup.ca) at the Paterson and they will conduct a review. If you are interested in learning more about vibrations, I would encourage you to watch the recording of the public information session linked below!