Rideau station stink due to 'stagnant' water leaking in, city says

The City of Ottawa says the group maintaining OC Transpo's Confederation Line believes the rotten stench at Rideau station is caused by stagnant water seeping into theunderground tunnel.

The explanation from Rideau Transit Group (RTG) sent bythe city Wednesday comes one week after CBCNewsfirst requested an explanation as to the cause of the smell coming from the station.

CBC'srequest on Jan. 30was prompted by reports of fumes many commuters compared to the smell of rotten eggsat Rideau Station last week. Last Thursday, the smell was particularly pungent, one OC Transpo passenger noted.

Citizen transit commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert also noted the stomach-churning fetor.

"Gawd," she tweeted on Jan. 31. "The tunnel is super eggy smelling this aft. It has wafted into our train hardcore."

Sealing up the tunnel

According to a written statement attributed toOttawa's director of transit operations,Troy Charter,"RTG believes that the odour at Rideau Station is due to stagnant water that is infiltrating into the tunnel near Rideau Station."

"It is important to note," Charter said, "that all tunnels experience some water infiltration."

Rideau Transit Group has suggested grout could help seal the tunnel and prevent water from seeping in, Charter said in the statement.

• Before Rideau station, Parliament station had a terrible smell

"An environmental consulting firm is assessing the smell to determine what can be done to suppress or eliminate the odour, and air quality monitoring is being undertaken," Charter said.

More updates on thesmell at Rideau station are expected Feb. 19 when the transit commission meets.

The stench at Rideau follows complaints of a sewage-like smell at Parliament Station, which was later blamed on the puncture of a sewer pipe during construction of the Confederation Line's downtown tunnel.

laura.glowacki@cbc.ca