Rehabilitation of the Touraine wastewater pumping station

The project consists of the complete rehabilitation of the Touraine wastewater pumping station. The Touraine pumping station is located within the territory of the City of Gatineau, in the Outaouais administrative region (Quebec).

The work at the Touraine wastewater pumping station is necessary to ensure its long-term proper functioning. The City must improve how it measures the water entering the station to comply with the standards of the Ministry of Environment, Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) regarding overflows. This will allow measuring the amount of water that overflows (by comparing the water entering with that which is pumped). To obtain a reliable measurement, water must flow regularly before reaching the measuring device (the Parshall flume). To achieve this, the inlet pipe must be rebuilt over a distance of approximately 9 meters. The City of Gatineau will also take advantage of this work to install a bypass pipe to facilitate maintenance work (cleaning, repairs, and others) of the sanitary well. The new bypass pipe would help prevent overflows into the river during these maintenance works.

The chosen solution is to build the bypass chamber and the channel in the current location of the sanitary pipe to minimize the ground space used. The generator will be installed on land that has already been developed. A gravel access road will be constructed to the north to access the pumping station on land owned by Hydro-Québec. The City has obtained Hydro-Québec's authorization for this road.

Federal approval for land use from the NCC (National Capital Commission) is required as part of the project affects its lands. Coordination with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is necessary because the CWS must issue a permit under the Species at Risk Act for work planned in the essential habitat of the Western Chorus Frog. For this project to proceed, ECCC must make a decision under the Impact Assessment Act. This department is a signatory authority along with the NCC.

The sequence of activities for the Touraine pumping station project is as follows:

1.         A temporary pumping pipe will be installed on the surface, between the Touraine pumping station and the existing inspection chamber of the sanitary pipe serving the Touraine areanear Leamy Creek. It will divert wastewater from the inlet channel directly to the station's effluent to be sent to the Gatineau wastewater treatment plant. It will operate until the end of the pumping station rehabilitation work or as needed and will be dismantled afterward.

2.         The contractor will excavate to install infrastructure related to the treatment plant, including the bypass chamber and the generator. The soil will be restored with the existing material and clean fill. Grass will also be seeded (hydraulic seeding type 1 (H1)) and shrubs planted (at least three native species).

3.         To reduce erosion of the Leamy Creek banks, a culvert will be installed along the northsouth axis of the planned road to the Touraine pumping station, and an existing culvert will be extended along the east-west axis. It is also planned to install two retention berms during the work to manage sediment transport to the watercourse.

Project activities will take place over a period of 10 weeks, divided into 3 phases between early August 2025 and late November 2027.

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Latest update

August 9, 2025 – The public comment period on the project is closed. The National Capital Commission is considering comments received to help inform its determination on whether the carrying out of the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
1 Public Notice - Rehabilitation of the Touraine wastewater pumping station - July 10, 2025

Contacts

National Capital Commission
Environmental Assessment
40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5A8
Email: IA-EI@ncc-ccn.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Touraine pumping station (Quebec)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Water Management

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2025-07-10

  • Proponent

    City of Gatineau

  • Authorities

    • Environment and Climate Change Canada
    • National Capital Commission

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    89722

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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