ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 37 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 2. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 HIGHWAY 174 STORM SEWER PIPE COLLAPSE ANALYSE DES CAUSES FONDAMENTALES - AFFAISSEMENT DE LA CHAUSSÉE SUR L’AUTOROUTE 174 LE 4 SEPTEMBRE 2012 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION That Council receive this report for information as supplemental to the 2013 rate budget. RECOMMANDATION DU COMITÉ Que le Conseil de prendre connaissance du présent rapport en tant que document complémentaire au budget de 2013 soutenu par les tarifs. DOCUMENTATION / DOCUMENTATION 1. Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager’s report dated 3 February 2013 / Rapport du Directeur municipal daté du 3 février 2013 (ACS2013-CMR-OCM-0001). 2. Extract of Minute, 15 January 2013, following the French report. ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 38 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 Report to/Rapport au : Environment Committee Comité de l’environnement and Council / et au Conseil January 3, 2013 3 janvier 2013 Submitted by/Soumis par : Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager / Directeur municipal Contact Person / Personne ressource: Steve Box, Director, Corporate Programs & Business Services / Directeur, programmes municipales et Services opérationnels 613-580-2424 ext. 24200; [email protected] ORLÉANS (1) Ref N°: ACS2013-CMR-OCM-0001 SUBJECT: ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 HIGHWAY 174 STORM SEWER PIPE COLLAPSE OBJET : ANALYSE DES CAUSES FONDAMENTALES - AFFAISSEMENT DE LA CHAUSSÉE SUR L’AUTOROUTE 174 LE 4 SEPTEMBRE 2012 REPORT RECOMMENDATION That the Environment Committee recommend Council receive this report for information as supplemental to the 2013 rate budget. RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT Que le Comité de l’environnement recommande au Conseil de prendre connaissance du présent rapport en tant que document complémentaire au budget de 2013 soutenu par les tarifs. ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 39 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On September 4, 2012, while undergoing preparatory work to make structural repairs, a section of storm sewer pipe collapsed under the southern exit ramp of Highway 174 near Jeanne D’Arc Boulevard. Immediate measures were undertaken to stabilize the site and implement emergency repairs. On September 12, 2012, Council directed the City Manager to: “Initiate an independent, arms-length, review of the root cause of the Highway 174 sinkhole and determine what, if anything, the City could have done differently to prevent the sinkhole and the subsequent failure of the east bound lanes of Highway 174 and report back to the Finance and Economic Development Committee within 90 days.” Additionally, Council directed that the City Manager: “Undertake an immediate review of any similar pieces of City infrastructure located in and around our critical City streets (i.e. any critical infrastructure similar in age or materials to the pipe that failed under Highway 174) and that this work be completed no later than September 30th.” On November 28, 2012, Council further directed that staff: “Re-direct the consultant’s report on the independent, arms-length, review of the root causes of the Highway 174 sinkhole and subsequent failure of the eastbound lanes of Highway 174 to the Environment Committee; and that the consultant’s report be publicly released on or before December 12, 2012, to ensure it is available within the 90 days as directed by Council in addition to the release that will occur with the January Agenda for the Environment Committee.” Pursuant to Council direction, the analysis of critical infrastructure was completed and reported to Council on September 28, 2012. Additionally, as per Council direction, a statement of work was drafted to undertake the root cause analysis of the storm sewer pipe collapse. Recognizing that the successful proponent had to specialize in drainage and possess structural, soils and hydrology expertise coupled with a requirement to ensure that the proponent had not performed work for either the City or any of the contractors associated with the work being ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 40 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 performed on the Highway 174 storm sewer pipe, staff consulted with the Chief Executive Officer of the Consulting Engineers of Ontario and the President of the Drainage Superintendents of Ontario to obtain input regarding suitable firms to undertake such a review. To ensure that the review was undertaken within the timeline specified by Council, five firms were identified and contacted to submit proposals in response to the statement of work (Document 1, Appendix A, to this report). Based on the submissions, B.M. Ross and Associates was retained to undertake a root cause analysis of the incident and prepare a report with recommendations. B.M. Ross and Associates has the pre-requisite technical expertise and has not previously worked for the City, the contractor or the consultant working on the Highway 174 storm sewer pipe repair project. A Technical Briefing was held for Members of Council on December 7, 2012, at which time the results of the independent review were released to the public. The purpose of this report is to present the findings and recommendations of the independent review and outline the actions undertaken or planned by the City in response to those recommendations related to the management of critical storm sewer assets. B.M. Ross and Associates found that Ottawa’s practices were similar to those of the peer municipalities that were consulted as part of the review. Their independent review identified five recommendations aimed at strengthening current asset management practices. Staff concur with all of the recommendations contained in the consultant’s report and outline the measures already in place or underway which respond to these recommendations and that will assist in improving asset management practices at the City. BACKGROUND On September 4, 2012, a 3.6 metre (m) diameter storm sewer pipe crossing Highway 174 at Jeanne D’Arc Boulevard collapsed creating a large sinkhole and closing the eastbound lanes. The City immediately coordinated an emergency response involving several City departments, including Infrastructure Services, Public Works, Transit Services, Environmental Services and Ottawa Police Services, to close the roadway and replace the pipe. The City then implemented interim measures to mitigate traffic pressures resulting from the road closure. By implementing a 24-hour response by staff and the contractor, the road was reopened to the public on September 17, 2012. On September 12, 2012, Council directed the City Manager to initiate an independent, arms-length review of the root causes of the Highway 174 sinkhole and report back within 90 days, to the Finance and Economic Development Committee with findings and recommendations to be implemented that would reduce the risk of a reoccurrence. ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 41 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 Pursuant to Council direction, the firm B.M. Ross and Associates was retained to undertake a root cause analysis of the incident and prepare a report with recommendations, where warranted. This firm was selected after obtaining input from the Chief Executive Officer of the Consulting Engineers of Ontario and the President of the Drainage Superintendents of Ontario regarding suitable firms to undertake such a review. B.M. Ross and Associates was also selected based on the fact that it had not previously done work for the City, the contractor or the consultant working on the project. On November 28, 2012, Council directed that the consultant’s report on the Highway 174 sinkhole be brought to Environment Committee, rather than to the Finance and Economic Development Committee. The purpose of this report is to present the findings and recommendations of the independent review and outline the actions undertaken or planned in response to the consultant’s recommendations regarding the management of critical storm sewer assets. It is also intended to report on the delegated authority exercised by senior management in responding to this emergency situation. The report prepared by B.M. Ross is included as Document 1 to this report. State of Storm Sewer Assets The City owns over $8 billion in sewer assets (based on replacement value) including 2,600 km of storm sewer pipes and 2,700 km of sanitary and combined storm sewer pipes. These assets exist to support the delivery of services to the residents of Ottawa that are important to our quality of life. Much of the City’s infrastructure was created to support growth as the City’s urban area expanded to include suburban areas, and to service rural communities. This infrastructure requires continued investment to ensure it is kept in good working order. It is an emerging industry best practice to develop comprehensive asset management programs to help prioritize these investments and ensure best value for taxpayer dollars. On October 10, 2012, Council approved the Comprehensive Asset Management (CAM) Program (Ref No: ACS2012-PAI-INF-0007). This report included approval of a program and associated target funding policy needed to keep the City’s infrastructure in a state of good repair. At the heart of the program is a framework aimed at making sure the City targets the right infrastructure renewal investments at the right time. To achieve this, the report recommended Council adopt new levels of service that take a risk-based approach to investment decisions. ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE 42 COMITÉ DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT REPORT 21 RAPPORT 21 27 FEBRUARY 2013 LE 27 FÉVRIER 2013 Applying a risk-based approach to the City’s sewer systems recognizes that not all pipes present the same risk to service. Risk is defined as the likelihood and consequence of failure. Likelihood of failure is a function of pipe material, operating environment, construction practices and remaining service life prediction.