Combined Sewer FAQ
It was less expensive to build one set of sewer pipes instead of two. Prior to the 1950's, there was less concern about the impact of the overflows on the environment.
No, the intakes for Edmonton's E.L. Smith and Rossdale Water Treatment Plants are both upstream from all CSO locations.
No, the river is sometimes brown because of naturally-occurring silt.
They can be the cause of odour problems due to large pipes and slow moving water.
No. The risk of infection from coming in contact with the river water is very low. You would have to ingest a fairly large quantity before being subject to illness.
The cost for complete sewer separation is about $2.5 billion. The City will slowly separate some of the combined sewers when they are doing other neighbourhood renewal work.
There is not just one easy solution. There are many options that have been reviewed, each with different benefits and costs. It has been a slow process to reach a final approach largely because of the complexity of the engineering alternatives, the comprehensive review of all technical data and the time needed to consult and inform the public and stakeholders.
