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REPORT

SANDFORI) FLEMING, C.M.G., C.E.

Condition of Ottawa River

From Ottawa to Grenville

IN SUMMER OF 1888

AS AFFECTED BY

Sawdust and other Mill Refuse

OTTAWA: ;

Printed by Thoburn ^ Co., No 36 Elgin Street

1895

,^ <!^ ■ »■

REPORT

.s^

SANDFORD FLEMING, C.M.G., C.E.

Condition of Ottawa River

From Ottawa to Grenville

IN SUMMER OF 1888

AS AFFECTED BY

* Sawdust and other Mill Refuse

^*.

OTTAWA :
Printed by Thoburn & Co., No 36 Elgin Street

1806

Ottawa, January 30th 1889.

To the Committee of Lumber Afaniifacturers, Ottawa :

Gkntlemen, — Having been requested by you to make an exami-
nation of that part of the River Ottawa, between the City of Ottawa and
Grenville, I have now the honor to report the resi'lt.

The object of the examination was to ascertain to what extent the
refuse from the various sawmills interferes with public and private
rights and ntore especially to determine definitely how far the navigation
of the river is obstructed from the same cause.

The examination has been made in general by myself and in detail
by my son S. H. Fleming under my instructions.

The refuse from the mills consists of sawdust, edgings, buttings and
slabs. A large proportion of the slabs and heavy refuse is not cast
into the river, it is separated at each of the mills and generally sold for
fuel and other uses.

At most, if not at all the mills, the slabs and heavy refuse not sold,
are broken into small fragments by a machine sometimes designated a
"hogging machine" .

There can be no doubt that all or nearly all the light refuse, such
as sawdust and broken-up slabs together with some of the edgings and
buttings finds its way into the river ; the exact proportions of edgings and
buttings are not easily ascertained.

The annual product of manufactured lumber of all sorts at the
various mills around the City of Ottawa will probably average fully 300,-
000,000 feet B. M. If we estimate 10 per cent, of the annual output
as waste we have 30,000.000 feet B.M. or 92,592 cubic yards of refuse,
a large proportion of which passes into the river. Whatever the
])roportion, it is reasonable to suppose that such a quantity of foreign
matter if deposited locally would necessarily produce some marked
effect. Much, if not the whole of this waste material is buoyant and it
is carried away by the stream to a greater or lesser distance, possibly
some portion finds its way to the lower reaches of the river, towards the
ocean.

In its i)assage down the river the sawdust floats for a time. While
it remains on the surface it is moved by the wind and not infrequently
is blown into bays and sheltered spots where, if not removed by a
change of wind, it in course of time becomes saturated and disappears.

In such places where the water is still, the water-logged particles
of sawdust find their way to the bottom. Owners of property especially
in the neighborhood of Ottawa, in some cases claim to suffer damage
from the deposit of mill waste in front of their lands, and likewise from
its presence on the surface of the water. In an artistic point ot view,

28194

the broad expanse of sawdust often seen during the summer months
floating on the river, is undoubtedly detrimental to the landscape.
Likewise it is objected to by those who indulge in pleasure boating.

The waste product from the mills is however not without advan-
tage to another class of people. There are a large number of families
settled along the river banks between Ottawa and Grenville who appear
to have selected this site of their habitations on account of the supply of
fuel which is annua'ly floated to their doors. During the summer
months numbers of women and children may be seen regularly at work
in boats and canoes gathering in from the stream their winter's supply of
fuel.

There is in reality a considerable population dependent on the
mills for their winter's firewood which thus costs them only the trouble
of gathering it .

As already indicated, I found large deposits of sawdust in side chan-
nels, sheltered bays, eddies and inlets, but the main channel of the river
remains unobstructed for the purposes of navigation.

I caused soundings to be taken during the past season on lines of
cross-sections which were made by the Government Engineers the year
previous.

These cross-sections extend generally from shore to shore of the
Ottawa, across the navigable channel, at the following points, viz : —

I. Line A-A at Upper end of Kettle Island, 3 miles below Ottawa.

3-
4-

5-
6.

7.
8.

9-
10.
II.

it
((

<(
((

B-B " Lower " Kettle Island, 5
C-C " " " Goose Island, 7^
D-D •« Upper " Lenard Island, 10
E-E " Lievre River, 16

F-F " Rockland, 21

G-G " Upper end of Clarence Isld. 26)^
H-H" Nation River, 34

I-I " Montebello, 44

K-K" McTavish Light House 50^^
L-L " Calumet, 57^4^

(C
C(

Ik
i(

Attention is directed to both sets of soundings which for ease of
comparison are reduced to the same datum and shown side by side on
the accompanying sheets (numbered I to II.)

An examination clearly shows that the bed of the river has to some
extent been changed within the period of twelve months, and that the
change is generally in the increase of depth. At one or two points, the
bed rock of the river has been laid bare, so that the depth at such spots
cannot be further increased from the same natural cause . I can only
account for the increase of depth in the channel by a greater scouring
effect of the current, and it is just possible that this may be due to the
lessening of the depth in the bays and shallows and side inlets, producing
a tendency to increase the flow of water in the central portion of the

4'M -«'

river. Be the reason what it may, it appears that the navigable chan-
nel is fully maintained in its integrity, and the increase in depth is con-
firmed by the statements of old river pilots who allege that the channel
Js better now than it was thirty or forty years back .

In addition to the new cross-sections referred to, a series of sound-
ings has been made on a continuous line along the entire length of the
channel from Ottawa to Grenville, a distance of sixty miles. These
soundings reveal a depth of water for the greater part of the distance
which is indeed remarkable.

The accompanying longitudinal section shows the soundings taken
in this sixty-mile stretch. These and all the other soundings although
taken at different stages of the water, have been reduced to a common
uniform datum. This datum conforms with the lowest level of the
river of which we have any record, and is established by the observations
of the Ottawa Lockmaster of the Rideau Canal, taken daily during a
period of seventeen years. A copy of this ofificer's record is ap-
pended ; he gives the level of the water above the sill of the lower lock
showing the daily variations of the river.

I find the extreme range of level of the River Ottawa in each year,
according to this record, as follows :

Year.

1872

1873
1874

'875
1876

1877

1888

7879

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1886
1887
1888

Date.

—May

—June

—May

—Oct.

—May

—flay

—May

—June

-July

—May

- -May

—May

Highest,
ft. in.

18.

24-

I ,

20.

16.

I .

'T .

22 .

18.

20.

I .

i3«

23
I .

10.

21 .

. 21
24
22

23
29

•15

15
,14

.20

20
18
.20
, 21
24
,24
,24

5
5

5
8
6
o
2

10
II

3
6
10
10
6
2

3
2

Dixte.

April

Sept.

Feby.

Sept.

Nov.

Oct.

Feby.

April

Sept.

Oct.

Sept.

Oct.

Mch.

I ,

17-

20.

27.

29.

26,

I .

I .
II

7-
21 .

15
19,

20.

Lowest,
ft. in.

Yly. Range
ft. L

•5
,6

■5
6

•S
.6

•5
.6

•4

•7

7
.6

•7
•7
•4
.6

7
10

7
8

4
II
10

6i
2
I
II

5
8

^5
17
16

9
8
8

17
15

13
»4
16

19
18

7
8

3
II

4
10
II

9
II

7
o

HIGHEST WATER.

Highest in 17 years, May 16, 1876 29 ft. 6 in.

Minimum highest in 17 years, May i, 1877 15 " o "

Mean highest in 17 years 21 " 5 "

LOWEST WATER.

Lowest in 17 years, Oct. i, .88. 4 tt. 6/2 in.

Maximum lowest in 17 years, Sept. 19, 1080 6 " ^ "

Mean lowest in 1 7 years ^

RANGE OF WATER l.EVEI..

Greatest range of level in 1 7 years ^1 'J; ! '1 ^ '"'

Greatest yearly range of level, (1876) g " 10 "

Least yearly range of level, 1878 „

Mean yearly ran^e of level m 17 years >5 J

Taking each separate mile of the river fron) Ottawa to ('renville,
the minimum and maximum depths under extreme low water m the
channel, as depicted on the longitudinal section, are as follows, .

Note— In the ist mile the longitudinal section shows the depths
in the main channel of the river from the Chaudiere downwards-not
in the bay leading to the Rideau Canal.

Least Depth. Greatest Depth
feet. feet.

ist mile below Ottawa 35 55

„_j «i " 3» 79

«"? « u 10 75

3;^ .. u ;; 8 30

4tn „ .. 18 28

JS^ « " 14 »6

IS « ;; - Z

^°i » u 8 21

'^'^ .. u 20 > 30

»'j « u 27 33

'^^^ . w II 33

'^^^^ .. » 18 33

'5^ « « 26 34

lotn -. x<.

,^^v «« *« 24 35

i8th -_ 26

^9j .. .. 18 34

^°^,^ w .. 34 62

""f .< u 31 39

23rd • • • •

24lh
35th
26lh
27lh
28th
'29lh
30th
3rst
32nd

34th

35ih

36th

37lh

38th

39th

40th

41st

42nd

43rd

44th

45th

46th

47th

48th

50th

51st

52nd

53rd

';4th

55th
5 6th

57th
58th

S9th
60th

mile below
ti

l(
l{

Ottawa

It
(«

•

K
«t
«
«l
• (
<l
i<
II
II
II
II
II
II
11
II
II
11
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II

Least Depth.

Greatest Depth

fMt

feet.

»9

12 -'

30^

142

»34

100

140

103

137

135

103

118

14-

118

21-^

14 ■"

10 -^

These soundrngs establish that when the water is at its lowest the
channel between Ottawa and Grenville is for a total length of 59 miles
greater in depth than 10 feet ; that for one-third of the whole distance
the depth exceeds 50 feet ; that for about 1 1 miles it exceeds 75 feet,
and that for 5^ miles the water is more than 100 feet, attaining a
depth of 142 feet under the lowest recorded level.

Only at five points on the whole distance of 60 nCiiles is the depth
of the channel at extreme low water under 10 feet. They are as
follows :

ist. — At the entrance to the Rideau Canal for about 600 feet out
from the lower lock.

2nd. — At the head of Kettle Island at the beginning of the 4th
mile from Ottawa, near the cross section mai.ccd "A- A." Here the
least depth in :he channel is 8J^ feet. «

3rd. — On the 9th mile below Ottawa, near the lig.it house, directly
east of the cross-section marked "C-C." Here the least depth in the
channel is 6 feet.

4th. — Below the mouth of the Blanche River on'the Loth mile from
Ottawa. Here the least depth in the channel is 7 feet,

5th. — At Parker's Island on the 31st mile below Ottawa. Here
the least depth in the channel is 7 feet.

These places have been examined carefully ; the shallow spots are
cf no great extent, being limited to a few hundred yards in each case,
and as already stated there is only an aggregate distance of a mile in the
whole 60 miles within which the depth is not greater than 10 feet.
Borings have been made by which it is esiablished that in cases 2 and 3
the material in the channel bed is coarse red sand. In cases 4 and 5
the borings indicate a fine sand or silt ; the material in all cases being
easy of removal . . Except in the case of No. i the borings did not
reveal the presence of sawdust or mill refuse in any form in any part of
the main channel . It is inferred that these points are simply natural
shallows such as are found in all rivers.

The evidence goes to show that these shallow portions of the
channel have quite as much water over them as v/hen the River Ottawa
was first navigated. Only ii the case of No. i is the navigation in
question affected. Here there is a deposit for a distance of about 200
yards outwards, from the entrance to the lower lock. The deposit here is
probably for the most part sawdust, and it is due to the fact that the
entrance to the Rideau Canal is in a deep and sheltered bay, where the
sawdust collects and where there is no current sufficient to carry it away.
With this exception, it is established beyond all question that no appre-
ciable injury has been done to the navigable channel of the river
through the operations of the lumbering manufacturers.

Moreover, it appears that the lumber manufacturing interests would
suffer very inuch more than all other interests from any possible injury
to the navigation. This inference is drawn from the volume of river
traffic, as shown by government returns. If the tolls collected on ton-

;he depth
ley are as

> feet out

if the 4th
Here the

2, directly
th in the

mile from
a. Here

spots are
ach case,
lile in the
I lo feet.
3 2 and 3

4 and 5
;es being

did not
y part of
y natural

s of the
:r Ottawa
gation in
bout 200
sit here is
that the
irhere the
y it away.
10 appre-
:he river

;ts would

le injury

of river

on ton-

/p^

nage passing the Grenville Canal be taken as a criterion, we may judge
of the value of the traffic by the following table, which gives a compar-
ison for a period of ten years.

^r Total Tolls T, ,. ^„ c;,„,„ T „<^^ Tolls on all other

Y^"- collected. Tolls on Sawn Lumber Freights.

1878 34,527 $28,688 $5,839

1879 r 35,392 29,727 5,665

w 1880 39,309 33,631 5.078

1881 52,245 46,496 5,749

1882 51,153 43,890 7,263

1883 55,665 48,250 7,4^S

1884 53,845 46,946 6,899

1885 49,337 44,036 5.301
18S6 50,620 45,66.; 4,956
1887 49.830 45,5^6 4,314

Totals $471,923 $412,844 $59,079

By these returns it is established that the gross revenue from;
Canal tolls in 10 years ending 3TSt December, 1887, was $471,923 of
which sawn lumber coutribuled $412,844, and all other traffic $59,079.

If we take by way of example the last year given in the table, viz.^
1887, we have as follows : —

Tons. Tolls.

Total freight of all sorts 684,047 $49,830 01

Sawnlumber 558,49o- 4S.516 14

All other trafific ! i24,557 4,31387

The sawn lumber above named does not include the following :

Tons Tolls

paying tolls. amounting to.

Timber in rafts 2,189 $7660

Saw logs 14.074 32780

Railway ties 3.625 39^ 22

Shingles 563 44i 71

Floats • 27,126 39980

Firewood 43,^52 i,379 32

Tons 90,729 Tolls.. 3,0 1 6 45

If the latter tolls be included it would appear that the lumbering
interests contributed $48,522.59 of a total canal revenue of $49,830.11.
But taking sawn lumber alone which pays close on 90 per cent, of the

aggregate tolls collected, there cannot be a doubt that the manufac-
turers, are to a much larger extent concerned in the navigation of the
river than all other interests combined.

In connection with the depth of water in the channel my enquiries
go to show that the barges used in the transportation of sawn lumber
are greater in draught than any other craft now employed or which have
at any previous time been employed on the river. *

The question arises, are the causes in operation, if continued for a
sufficiently long period, likely to damage the Ottawa as a navigable
stream ? This enquiry is of great importance and demands special
attention.

It is not easy to ascertain the exact quantity of solid matter cast
into the river from the mills, be the quantity what it may, the material
being buoyant is carried forward a greater or lesser distance before it
sinks or disappears.

Wherever it may find its way to the bottom, it is seldom found in
a compact body. A deposit of sawdust is easily moved b> currents,
and as the volume of water in the Ottawa during floods is very large
and of great force it may be assumed that no deposit of this loose ma-
terial can remain in the shallow parts of the main channel, where in fact
the currents are always greatest.

It has been satisfactorily established by the recent examination
that during the constantly recurring periods of high water any such de-
posits are moved forward by. the scour of the currents and carried prob-
ably to parts of the river where the water is deep and still.

Taking that portion of the Ottawa between this City and Grenville
and dividing the whole distance of 60 miles into subdivisions of 10
miles each, we obtain from the recent measurements the following aver-
age depths in the channel at extreme low water.

ist sub-division average. .
2nd sub-division average.
3rd subdivision average.
4th sub-division average.
5th sub-division average ,
6th sub-division average .

Least depth.

14 ft. 9 in.

19 " 3 "

24 " o "

41 " 9 "
65 " 7 "

Greatest depth.

38 ft. 5 in.
, 31 " 2 "
37 " 6 "

6 "

78 " 6 "
97 " 2 "
69 " 2 "

From these averages we have for the whole 60 miles of the channel
taken in sub-divisions of 10 miles.

1. A mean minimum depth of 32 ft. 9 in.

2. A mean maximum depth of 58 ft. 7 in.

3. A general mean depth of 45 ft. 9 in.

It will be borne in mind that all these depths mentioned refer to a
stage of the water which has only occurred once in the past 17 years,
that is to say when the river fell to but 4 ft. 6^ in. over the lock sill of
the Rideau Canal, on the ist of October, 1881.

The large quantity of refuse passing from the mills would in a
shallow sluggish river very soon produce objectionable consequences,
but the deductions drawn from the recent survey show conclusively that
' the Ottawa is so exceptional in its character and has depths so profound
that the evils to be feared from the filling up of the channel ar,e
exceedingly remote.

I have had an estimate prepared to convey some idea of the length
of time which would elapse before the deep parts of the river between
Ottawa a>nd Grenville would be filled. This estimate is based on
the soundings recently made and on other data. According to this
estimate it would require 350,000,000 cubic yards of solid material to fill
up the deeper parts to a line ten teet under extreme low water. 1 have
already indicated that the quantity of sawdust and lefuse of all kinds
passing from the mills cannot on an average be more than loc.ooo cubic
yards |,>er annum. It is not possible to determine what part of this
material remains above Grenville. It is reasonable to suppo^e that
some of it finds its way to the lower reaches of the river, but ar^uming
that no part of it is carried towards the ocean and t'lat its volume is not
reduced by pressure or by any natural process, the question resolves
itself into one of sinijile proportion, viz: — How long will it take to
deposit 350,000,000 cubic yards at the rate of 100,000 cubic yards
per annum ? This whole calculation may be held to be but roughly
approximate, yet it will give some idea of the enormous length of time
' which would elapse before the deep space under the level demanded by
a navigable channel could be filled up.

The examination which I have made points to the following con-
clusion :

1. With respect to private interests, there can be no doubt that
riparian owners in some individual cases suffer actual damage from the
operations of the lumber manufacturers. While this is the case more
especially in the neighborhood of Ottawa there are many persons living
along the river banks between this City and Grenville who are benefited
in a manner which to them may be considered material. These
persons may indeed be counted by hundreds, and they would feel it to
be a great deprivation if through any cause they were cut off from their
annual supply oi firewood.

2. There has been a deposit of sawdust directly in front of the
Rideau Canal in the City of Ottawa, it extends from the lower lock, a
short distance into the river. The removal of less than 10,000 cubic
yards by dredging at this spot would enable all vessels navigating the

. canal to enter with ease when the water is at its lowest stage. With this

single exception I am unable to see that the navigation of the river
Ottawa has been injuriously interfered with to any appreciable extent.
Moreover, if the official returns afford a means of judging, it appears
that the lumbering interest are more deeply concerned in the niainte-
viance of the navigation than all other interests. The official returns of
traffic through the Grenville cana) showing that the lumber business pays
nearly all the tolls collected.

3, With regard to the future it is conclusively established that
there is no probability of the navigation between the City of Ottawa and
Grenville being irretrievably destroyed or seriously obstructed from the
cause assigned for centuries to come.

I have the honor to be, Gentlemen,

Your obedient servant,

(Signed) SANDFORD FLEMING.

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