Officials with the city of Longueuil, south of Montreal, insist their decision to dump raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River has not jeopardized public safety.

The city began to redirect sewage into the river on Sept. 28, after a fire damaged an electrical panel at a key municipal pumping plant, said François Laramée, a spokesman for Longueuil. 

The treatment plant normally removes about 50 tonnes of toxins from the water it processes every day. But in the past week, that water has poured directly into the river, in quantities that could fill about 300 Olympic-sized pools.

The move was approved by provincial environmental officials, who granted Longueuil permission to dump the sewage into the river for as long as it takes to repair the plant, Laramée said.

Laramée said repairs at the pumping plant should be completed by Oct. 10.

The danger of contamination in the meantime is minimal, he added.

"There's no risk because, you know, 20 years earlier we put the water directly in the river," he said. "We have a new installation since that time, but an accident is an accident."

Environmentalists demand public warnings

People should be warned about the sewage, and the city of Longueuil has a responsibility to do that, said Daniel Green, an environmental scientist who campaigns for the Sierra Club of Quebec.

The river is a popular playground for paddling and boating enthusiasts, who can be seen on the St. Lawrence well into October. They should know what's in the water, Green said.

"The city should release an ad, or literally post little posters to warn [them]. This can be done, this can be done quickly, and it should happen," he said.