TORONTO: Toronto is embarking on the largest and most significant stormwater management program in the city’s history.
With an overall budget of more than $3 billion, this program will greatly improve the water quality in the Lower Don River, TaylorMassey Creek and along Toronto’s Inner Harbour by keeping combined sewer overflow out of our waterways through the upgrading of technology and capacity to capture, transport and treat it.
The new integrated pumping station will move raw sewage from underground sewers into the treatment plant. The pumping station construction will span 2018 to 2034.
As of August 2021, the design portion of this project is approximately 75 per cent complete overall, with construction approximately 20 per cent complete. It will provide additional capacity for population growth.
Construction is well underway on the property south of Lake Shore Boulevard East (both of the old pumping stations are north of Lake Shore Boulevard East in Main Sewage Treatment Playground).
The DR&CW project will keep combined sewer overflows out of Lower Don River, Taylor-Massey Creek and Inner Harbour by:
• capturing it within the tunnel system.
• transporting it for treatment.
• storing it during extreme rainstorms until system capacity is restored and the water can be transported for treatment. The project will be done in stages. The first stage is the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel, a 10.5 km long, 6.3 m diameter tunnel.
The complete DR&CW Tunnel System will include:
• 22 km tunnel system consisting of three integrated tunnels: 1 Coxwell Bypass Tunnel 2 Taylor-Massey Creek Tunnel 3 Inner Harbour Tunnel
• 12 wet weather flow storage shafts along the tunnels.
• 27 connection points to the tunnels for stormwater and combined sewer overflow.
• seven off-line storage tanks.
• Real-Time Control (RTC) to regulate flows in the City’s sewer system. Construction of phase one of the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel runs from 2018 to 2024. Timing of the future stages is dependent on funding, regulatory approvals, and other considerations.
Coxwell Bypass Tunnel: As of August 2021, the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel (stage one) is approximately 60 per cent complete. Inner Harbour Tunnel: As of August 2021, Inner Harbour West Tunnel is in the design phase. Taylor-Massey Creek Tunnel: Design is planned to start in 2023.