Britannia's berm faces its greatest test yet

On Wednesday, as waves lapped against the rocky parapet of the man-made dike separating this low-lying west end neighbourhood from the rising Ottawa River, the berm suddenly seemed like a pretty solid idea.

For now, Britannia rules the waves. But some recall the struggle.

The people who didn't want the berm ... the way they expressed it was, 'Over my dead body.'-Matilde Hahn, Britannia Village resident

Many residents opposed the 1.6-kilometre berm, either because of the costor over concerns it would spoil their view of the Ottawa River.

"Opposition rose up amongst some residents on design, location and frankly, whether or not it was needed," said Jonathan Morris, president of the Britannia Village Community Association.

"It was based on the one-in-100-year flood events, and lots of people said, 'That's never going to happen.'"

"It wasan incredibly divisiveissue," recalledMatilde Hahn, the Britannia Village resident many regard as the project's spark plug.

"The people who didn't want the berm... the way they expressed it was, 'Over my dead body.'"

Tested twice

Thankfully, it has never come to that. Theberm was completedin 2016, just in time for major flooding the following spring.

Now, once again, the bermis the only thing standing between the rising Ottawa River and about 120 homes on the other side.

Waves whipped up by heavy winds on the weekend prompted the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, which designed and monitorsthe $800,000 structure, to bolster it with a secondary row of sandbags.

On Wednesday, some water was seen leaking through, or perhaps seeping under the dike. Just to be sure, more sandbags were piled around the perimeterof the nearby Britannia Beach Apartments.

But for the most part, the berm was holding fast.

"Engineering reviews indicate that this barrier continues to be in good condition to protect the area from overland water flow," saidPierre Poirier, the city's head of emergency management, during an update Wednesday, describing the performance of both the berm and a raised pathway from the BelltownDome to Carling Avenue.

In an email to CBC News, manager of asset management Shelley McDonald said there was some leaking due to "excess groundwater," but the city, the military, and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority were all closely monitoring the situation.

'It should hold'

"It should hold.I believe it will hold," said former city councillor Alex Cullen, who was alsoinstrumental in getting the berm built.

"Once we get past the peak, we'll see some buttressing of the berm," he predicted.

Cullen refuses to be smug about it, referring demurely to the bermas"a good investment." But he firmly believes other waterfront neighbourhoods in the National Capital Region could benefitfrom similar defences.

On Wednesday, Cullen sat with current Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, who happens to be his wife, and other members of the group that begancampaigning14 years ago to build the berm.

Opponents changing tune

Kavanagh said she was touring the berm with the mayor earlier this week when a resident who had originally opposed the idea approached her to say thank you.

"That was kind of heartwarming. It's nice for people to admit that," Kavanaugh said.

When the cost of the project ballooned, the province, prompted by former mayor Bob Chiarelli, then an MPP, agreed to cover a portion. The rest was eventually split between the city and local residents, who began paying an annual levy of about $200 last year, and will continue paying until 2028.

As late as2017, two riverside homeowners were still refusing to allow the easement necessary to finish the berm.

The Britannia berm a timeline

• 2004:Matilde Hahn, Wendy Hough, Doug Biers, John Riordan, Moe Charlebois and others in the Britannia communitybegin lobbying city hall about measures to prevent annual flooding of Britannia Village.
• 2006:Councilagrees to build abermand cover half the estimated cost of $390,000. The rest would come from alocal improvement levy on homes that would directly benefit. Eventually, the province would pitch in, too.
• 2006-2015:There ensuesadecade of delays, cost overruns, fights overaccess and objections over design. Some property owners opposethe bermaltogether, while others opposepaying for it. Flooding in 2013 causeshundred of thousands of dollars in damage.
• 2016:The berm is largely built, save for a small section completed the following year.
• 2018: City council finally passesa $195,000levy, to be charged to 93 homes over 10 years, although as many as 120 homes are protected by the berm.