Montreal green-lights plan to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into St. Lawrence River
City green-lights plan to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into St. Lawrence River | Montreal Gazette
The city of Montreal said Friday there is no way around its much-criticized plan to dump raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River for seven days so it can relocate a snow chute.
The chute must be moved because it is now under the elevated Bonaventure Expressway, which the city is working to bring to ground level to convert it to an urban boulevard.
The sewage dump has been criticized by environmentalists and the opposition at city hall, and Mayor Denis Coderre ordered a temporary halt to the plan this week so the city could re-examine the situation.
But after studying alternatives, the city said it is necessary to shut off about one third of its sewage collector system so that it can dry out the southeast network — a 30-kilometre collector that spans from LaSalle to Pointe-aux-Trembles. As a result, all water from toilets, sinks and showers, and from heavy industries that use the collector system in that area of the city, will be dumped directly into the river through 24 discharge pipes along that 30-kilometre stretch.
The city must dry out the giant sewer to allow crews to work inside it, said Pierre Desrochers, the city’s executive committee chairman. He added that for safety and security purposes, the city can’t ask workers to work in a collector when it is full of sewage. The city also can’t divert the sewer, he said, claiming it would take five years and cost $1 billion to do that.
About 8 billion litres of raw sewage will flow into the river over a seven-day period from Oct. 18 to 24. Currently located on Wellington St., underneath the elevated expressway, the snow chute will be dismantled and a new one will be built across the Lachine Canal on Riverside St., near Mill St., about a kilometre away.
A snow chute is a huge opening in the ground that connects to the sanitary sewer system. Trucks dump snow removed from the city’s streets into the chute, and the melted snow travels to the city’s waste water treatment plant.
Richard Fontaine, the city’s director for waste water treatment, said crews will use an existing pipe and split it in two. It will then build a slide that goes 35 metres deep into the sewer collector.
The crews will also have to remove braces at the old snow dump. Installed in 1997, the braces served to shore up the sewer. Since they are old, Fontaine is concerned they could become damaged if left in the sewer for too long.
“When they break, they create a dam and reduce the flow of the (sewer), so they have to be removed,” Fontaine said.
He added that there is lots of other maintenance and repair work that has to be done along the entire 30-kilometre sewer, and crews are taking advantage of the shutdown to do that work.
Citizens are warned to stay out of the water in the area and not to engage in water sports like canoeing, kayaking or surfing from Oct. 18 to 28. Homes and industries have been asked to reduce the amount they flush into the sanitary sewer system.
Desrochers said the city has received the green light from the province’s Environment Department to do the work, after applying for the permit in February.
Desrochers added that the impact will not be long lasting, since the raw sewage will be diluted by the river, and within a few days, the extra pollution will not be noticeable.
However, several environmentalists dispute this claim.
“We can’t take lightly the quantity of pollutants that will be dumped into the river,” said Coralie Deny, the general director of Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal.
She added that she’s concerned about the chemicals from industries, saying they can stay in the water system for many years.
Luc Ferrandez, the leader of opposition Projet Montréal, said the city has had ample time to come up with a better plan.
“This project was planned eight years ago,” Ferrandez said, alluding to the lowering of the Bonaventure Expressway. “I’m sure if we had started eight years ago, the answer would have been much different today.”
Daniel Green, the Green Party candidate for the Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs federal riding, which includes the affected area, said the federal environment minister must step in and stop the city from proceeding.
“According to the Fisheries Act, it is illegal to dump polluted substances in natural fish habitats,” Green said in a statement. “This means Minister Leona Aglukkaq has the power to act. She must show political will and act to prevent the city of Montreal from moving forward with its plan.”
William Pollock, who is a kiteboarding instructor and a surfer who is in the water four days a week at the continuous wave behind Habitat 67, said he’s upset he won’t be able to practice his sport for 10 days. He’s also worried about the lasting effects on the water quality.
“When you’re in the water for a long period, you can get scrapes and things,” Pollock said. “In the last few years, the water quality has been much better, it’s a shame for all this effort to be reversed.”
He said he’d like the city to ask industries to hold back on dumping toxic waste during the work period.
City green-lights plan to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into St. Lawrence River | Montreal Gazette
The city of Montreal said Friday there is no way around its much-criticized plan to dump raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River for seven days so it can relocate a snow chute.
The chute must be moved because it is now under the elevated Bonaventure Expressway, which the city is working to bring to ground level to convert it to an urban boulevard.
The sewage dump has been criticized by environmentalists and the opposition at city hall, and Mayor Denis Coderre ordered a temporary halt to the plan this week so the city could re-examine the situation.
But after studying alternatives, the city said it is necessary to shut off about one third of its sewage collector system so that it can dry out the southeast network — a 30-kilometre collector that spans from LaSalle to Pointe-aux-Trembles. As a result, all water from toilets, sinks and showers, and from heavy industries that use the collector system in that area of the city, will be dumped directly into the river through 24 discharge pipes along that 30-kilometre stretch.
The city must dry out the giant sewer to allow crews to work inside it, said Pierre Desrochers, the city’s executive committee chairman. He added that for safety and security purposes, the city can’t ask workers to work in a collector when it is full of sewage. The city also can’t divert the sewer, he said, claiming it would take five years and cost $1 billion to do that.
About 8 billion litres of raw sewage will flow into the river over a seven-day period from Oct. 18 to 24. Currently located on Wellington St., underneath the elevated expressway, the snow chute will be dismantled and a new one will be built across the Lachine Canal on Riverside St., near Mill St., about a kilometre away.
A snow chute is a huge opening in the ground that connects to the sanitary sewer system. Trucks dump snow removed from the city’s streets into the chute, and the melted snow travels to the city’s waste water treatment plant.
Richard Fontaine, the city’s director for waste water treatment, said crews will use an existing pipe and split it in two. It will then build a slide that goes 35 metres deep into the sewer collector.
The crews will also have to remove braces at the old snow dump. Installed in 1997, the braces served to shore up the sewer. Since they are old, Fontaine is concerned they could become damaged if left in the sewer for too long.
“When they break, they create a dam and reduce the flow of the (sewer), so they have to be removed,” Fontaine said.
He added that there is lots of other maintenance and repair work that has to be done along the entire 30-kilometre sewer, and crews are taking advantage of the shutdown to do that work.
Citizens are warned to stay out of the water in the area and not to engage in water sports like canoeing, kayaking or surfing from Oct. 18 to 28. Homes and industries have been asked to reduce the amount they flush into the sanitary sewer system.
Desrochers said the city has received the green light from the province’s Environment Department to do the work, after applying for the permit in February.
Desrochers added that the impact will not be long lasting, since the raw sewage will be diluted by the river, and within a few days, the extra pollution will not be noticeable.
However, several environmentalists dispute this claim.
“We can’t take lightly the quantity of pollutants that will be dumped into the river,” said Coralie Deny, the general director of Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal.
She added that she’s concerned about the chemicals from industries, saying they can stay in the water system for many years.
Luc Ferrandez, the leader of opposition Projet Montréal, said the city has had ample time to come up with a better plan.
“This project was planned eight years ago,” Ferrandez said, alluding to the lowering of the Bonaventure Expressway. “I’m sure if we had started eight years ago, the answer would have been much different today.”
Daniel Green, the Green Party candidate for the Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs federal riding, which includes the affected area, said the federal environment minister must step in and stop the city from proceeding.
“According to the Fisheries Act, it is illegal to dump polluted substances in natural fish habitats,” Green said in a statement. “This means Minister Leona Aglukkaq has the power to act. She must show political will and act to prevent the city of Montreal from moving forward with its plan.”
William Pollock, who is a kiteboarding instructor and a surfer who is in the water four days a week at the continuous wave behind Habitat 67, said he’s upset he won’t be able to practice his sport for 10 days. He’s also worried about the lasting effects on the water quality.
“When you’re in the water for a long period, you can get scrapes and things,” Pollock said. “In the last few years, the water quality has been much better, it’s a shame for all this effort to be reversed.”
He said he’d like the city to ask industries to hold back on dumping toxic waste during the work period.
