Longueuil dumps raw sewage in the St-Lawrence
Last Updated: Thursday, October 5, 2006 | 9:35 AM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
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.
Share Tools
Latest Montreal News Headlines
- Rio Tinto may cut up to 400 jobs in Sorel-Tracy by 2014
- The company's management met with the union this week to present a restructuring plan that could result in significant job losses. more »
- Police ask for help in finding missing girl
- Montreal police are asking for the public's help in finding Gracia Younes, a 14-year-old girl who is thought to have run away last Saturday. more »
- 28 students strip-searched at St-Jérôme high school
- One female student told the TVA network that at one point she was asked to remove her bra. more »
- NDP MP Tyrone Benskin 'truly sorry' for not paying taxes
- NDP MP Tyrone Benskin has apologized for not paying his taxes and promises to pay back everything he owes, but has lost his deputy critic duties as a result of the news. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Will Rob Ford's supporters leave Ford Nation?
- The growing controversy over a purported video alleging to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine may be testing the faith of even his most die-hard supporters. But experts say Ford's policies may trump whatever personal issues he's facing, and that his supporters may rally behind him.
more »
- Hockey Canada votes to ban bodychecking in peewee hockey
- Hockey Canada's board of directors voted to eliminate bodychecking from peewee-level hockey on Saturday in Charlottetown. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Repairing the damage in this week's Generation Why
- How does one get through the days and weeks following a natural disaster, a senseless tragedy, or even a crash-landing back on Earth? In this week's issue of Generation Why, several contributors recommend stories about repairing the damage, and trying to move forward. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine
- The mayor of Canada's largest city told a packed news conference that he doesn't use crack cocaine and isn't a crack addict — and new allegations surfaced Saturday involving Ford's brothers. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- 28 students strip-searched at St-Jérôme high school
- Has Montreal's reputation taken a hit?
- Montreal lifts boil-water advisory
- Dachshunds strut their stuff as UN bosses
- Police ask for help in finding missing girl
- NDP MP Tyrone Benskin 'truly sorry' for not paying taxes
- Pierre's picks: 5 don't-miss events in Montreal this weekend
- Philanthropist, father of Browns Shoes, dies at 85
- Lobbying saved Montreal's UN aviation agency, Paradis says

