City of Ottawa moving to improve heritage protections for 19th century Water Works

Ottawa City Hall. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

City of Ottawa staff are asking councillors to approve a plan to strengthen and streamline heritage protections for the 150-year-old Ottawa Water Works complex at LeBreton Flats.

A report prepared for the Built Heritage Committee recommends scrapping two existing heritage bylaws for the property, replacing them with one comprehensive bylaw that aligns with the current Ontario Heritage Act.

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"Through the review of recent development and building permit applications on the site, Heritage Planning staff noted the challenges of working with the existing bylaws that lack detail and defined heritage attributes. In anticipation of future development on the site, it would be prudent to have a clear and updated designating bylaw," the report states.

The Ottawa Water Works complex is comprised of the Water Works Building at 10 Fleet St., the covered aqueduct, the open aqueduct to the west including the headworks, the channeled tailrace to the north of the pumping station, and five stone bridges that cross the aqueduct. It was designed by Canadian civil engineer Thomas Keefer and built between 1872 and 1874, with additions added between 1888 and 1899, designed by architect Edgar L. Horwood.

It was an innovative design when it was built. The Water Works used a hydraulic pumping system, as opposed to steam-driven pumps, which were the style at the time. Water was drawn in from the headworks above the Chaudière Falls and fed through the open aqueduct to waterwheels connected to two large pumps. A clear water pipe in the aqueduct provided clean drinking water to the municipal system.

It is the last remaining 19th century structure on LeBreton Flats after much of the area was cleared in the 1960s. The site is now slated for development, including a new central library and a much-discussed potential NHL arena. 

The Water Works Building was first designated as a heritage property in 1982. In 1995, a second bylaw added remaining elements of the complex, including Pooley's Bridge and the channeled tailrace, as having heritage value. The bylaws, however, are out of date, staff said.

"City Staff recommend replacing the original 1982 and 1995 bylaws with one comprehensive bylaw to capture the whole of the site, that meets today’s requirements under the Ontario Heritage Act. The updated bylaw will identify specific heritage attributes and provide greater clarity on the extent of the designation of the Ottawa Water Works Complex," the report says.

The Built Heritage Committee will review the application Jan. 17, with full council voting on it on Jan. 24, if approved.