The residents of Munster Hamlet, rightly, have always complained about the sewage lagoons and odour that had blanketed their community.

The City of Ottawa decided to install a sewage pipeline to rid Munster of the problem. Meanwhile, Richmond lost its fight with the city to stop the sewage pipeline from being routed through our village, and near our water supply. The city is now using this pipeline to transport sewage from Munster to the Richmond Pumping Station.

So now Richmond has an active lagoon cell and an odour problem, along with serious concerns about the risk to our water supply from leakage. On some days in July, the odour from the pumping station was so overpowering, it forced nearby residents into their homes, with windows closed.

One has to wonder at the wisdom of decision-makers at City Hall. In moving a problem from one area to another, they spent $12.9 million -- in 2004 alone. This price does not include money spent in previous years or this year.

These problems and concerns could have been avoided by installing an on-site treatment plant, such as the one in Manotick, which would have cost only $3.8 million -- a guaranteed price from the company that would have built it.

The mayor and council have made it clear the city is facing a huge deficit and constantly warn us about tax increases.

I can now see why there is such a shortfall. Look at how much money they wasted on this one decision.

One wonders how much more will be needlessly spent before the next election. That's when we will have a chance to elect leaders who are capable of making decisions that benefit all residents of this city.

Jane Campbell,
Richmond