Outside The Bubble: Montreal Begins 2 Billion Gallon Sewage Dump into St. Lawrence
Photo Credit: CBC
Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m., the city of Montreal began an extremely controversial and environmentally questionable raw sewage pump downstream of Canton. The dzecision to proceed with the municipal dump was finalized via press conference on Tuesday, during which Montreal mayor Denis Coderre credited a highway construction project. According to NCPR, the project will be limited to 2.1 billion gallons of sewage over the course of six days, set to complete on November 17.
In the face of this decision, Montreal officials have criticized the city government on neglecting infrastructure to this point of desperation. The current sewage treatment system requires immediate replacement, reports BBC. As a result, the sewage pipes were opened Wednesday and raw waste is now being dumped virtually constantly.
Following an operation delay during recent Canadian elections, the construction project received a green light in tandem with increased river monitoring and an extensive clean up plan, according the ABC News. Officials assure that, despite water discoloration and foul odors observed on-scene and downstream, the dump will have a negligible affect on drinking water quality or fish health. Nevertheless, BBC reports that Montreal residents are still under advisory to limit flush-disposal of medication, condoms, and tampons for the duration of sewage pumping.
As Canton is located upriver of the dump, the sewage is unlikely to reach ports near campus, although water quality throughout the entire seaway will be monitored for health purposes.
Evidence-based policy ignored in the rush to judgement but a key point of Montreal Gazette editorial is the role of experts and evidence-based policy:
If we believe in evidence-based public policy, we must be willing to listen to the experts, even at the risk of drawing unwanted attention from the likes of Erin Brockovich. In this case, local water-treatment experts and independent scientists hired by the federal government back the city’s move, saying the amount of waste water to be discharged in the fast-moving St. Lawrence will not harm fish or affect drinking water.
http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-lessons-from-the-montreal-sewage-saga