PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Montreal, December 2, 2015 – Fondation Rivières asks Minister Heurtel to justify his decision that the city of Montreal does not have to disinfect its wastewater throughout the year. This demonstration is the responsibility of the State and must be made public.
We believe that the ozone disinfection system that will be built and commissioned in 2018 at the wastewater treatment plant should operate all year round, not just in summer. Contaminants have effects on aquatic flora and fauna, even in winter. The drinking water intakes located downstream would be secured and improved. Recent discoveries indicate that wastewater leaving treatment plants contains, in addition to coliforms, a whole range of pharmaceutical products, hormones and viruses, all emerging products whose effects can be significant and lead in particular to to genetic changes in species.
After investing approximately 250 M$ in the construction of an ozone treatment system, what logic can justify not operating this equipment all year round?
Such an environmental policy should be considered at least for the ten largest wastewater treatment plants.
For Catherine Huard, Director General, “Civil servants and managers must justify themselves scientifically. The era of great darkness and insignificant declarations is over, we are in 2015. We saw during Flushgate the importance given by the population to water quality. We believe that Montrealers want their wastewater to be disinfected all year round so that it does not contaminate the river. Public awareness and expectations have evolved greatly. However, our leaders have not yet reached this level of awareness, as Roy Dupuis recently pointed out in his open letter The unbearable casualness of our governments. She adds that compensation should be paid when there is undue pollution, particularly when the requirements of the MDDELCC are not respected. “Municipalities must pay for their pollution, not simply send it to their downstream neighbors! » she concludes.
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For informations :
Alain Saladzius
President
514 924-2013
presidence@fondationrivieres.org
