PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Montreal, 1er June 2020 – Seven out of 10 municipalities still contaminate Quebec's rivers. This is what reveals three years of studies carried out by the Fondation Rivières on the water sanitation systems of 130 municipalities in Quebec, or 15 % of the 846 existing municipal sanitation systems. The research targeted five large watersheds where nearly a million and a half Quebecers live: the Richelieu, Bécancour, Châteauguay, L'Assomption and Missisquoi Bay rivers.
The data collected reveals that in 2018, 53,645 wastewater discharges into Quebec's waterways took place, which represents 147 overflows on average per day. These overflows account for a total of 37,575 hours of overflow for this year alone. The situation is also very far from being resolved, with a third of municipal sanitation systems exceeding their hydraulic treatment capacity. These exceedances are such that in 2018, 62 treatment plants diverted more than 21 million m3 of untreated wastewater into the environment, almost three times what Montreal had discharged into the river in 2015 in this which had been described as “ flushgate ". Fondation Rivières has documented the causes of this decline.
Support capacity of natural environments
Currently, standards for the discharge of contaminants into the environment do not take into account changes over time in the capacity of natural environments to tolerate pollution. In fact, all municipalities in Quebec have been waiting since 2014 to receive their “sanitation certificate”, a new standard which will establish the maximum number of overflows that the different watersheds can tolerate and the treatment standards to be achieved. However, the MELCC has not yet issued any certificate under this regulation. According to the information obtained, the process of issuing certificates would be completed in 2026, i.e. 12 years after the adoption of the regulation.
Unacceptable standards and faulty or negligent municipalities
A municipality complies with MELCC standards for wastewater treatment, but remains, with more than 1,000 overflows per year, the largest source of contamination of the receiving environment. How is it possible?
First example. Municipality X's wastewater treatment plant was built in 1986, when discharge standards were much more lax. Since the factory has not been modified in any way since its construction, the rules of the time still apply. In fact, the municipality can pollute waterways completely legally without fear of possible sanctions.
Second example. Municipality Y obtained approval from the MELCC to build a building of 70 condominium units along a river. This authorization is conditional on the increase in the treatment capacity of its sanitation systems. However, the MELCC grants the municipality a period of eight years to comply with the standards, despite the immediate increase in housing units on its territory. Eight years of additional overflows are thus legally authorized, while a few months are enough to increase the capacity of factories and pumping stations or to reduce water inflows.
Municipalities have nothing to fear from the MELCC in terms of reprisals, since the latter has issued only 23 sanctions since 2014, including 18 for non-compliance with administrative deadlines for transmitting mandatory information. No criminal or financial sanctions relating to water contamination for discharges beyond permitted standards have been issued by the MELCC.
Exemplary municipalities left to their own devices
For two years, Fondation Rivières has interviewed more than 100 municipal leaders and the observation is clear: municipalities rarely have the expertise, resources, or support necessary to select the solutions best suited to their needs and to meet their conditions. allowing you to obtain subsidies.
Leaders are no longer able to rely on the expertise of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH), whose inspection teams were dismantled in 2014 following the adoption of the Regulation respecting municipal wastewater treatment works. Municipalities must therefore refer to engineering firms whose knowledge of pollution issues in receiving environments is limited.
No communication between the MELCC and the MAMH
The current operation provides that the plans and specifications are submitted by the municipalities to the MELCC which ensures that the installations meet the standards in compliance with the regulation. When the projects obtain approval from the MELCC, the municipalities then submit them to the MAMH in order to obtain funding of up to 95 % of the costs. At no time do the MELCC and the MAHM consult together to identify priority projects. All files are handled on a case-by-case basis, without an overall view of the situation. This lack of communication between the two ministries results in very significant waste of public funds.
Scenario. Municipalities X and Y are similar in all respects: same population, same geography, same wastewater flow, same needs in terms of treatment plant, etc. However, the construction of the factory in municipality Y cost twice as much as that in municipality X. Why? Unlike municipality X, municipality Y hopes that one day Montrealers will settle there en masse. An unjustified hope, yet financed to the tune of 83 % by the MAMH, whose only evaluation criterion lies in the authorization of the MELCC.
For a global vision and intervention priorities
The studies carried out by Fondation Rivières, an independent and non-profit organization, made it possible to paint a bleak picture of the situation and to draw up a list of priority interventions to improve the situation.
To date, the Government of Quebec has still not set clear and measurable objectives other than with deadlines that are too lax. There is also no public progress report on the work in progress. It now appears obvious that the priority files which required the construction of wastewater treatment works cannot be completed in 2020 such as the Regulation respecting municipal wastewater treatment works requires it.
It is inconceivable that the subsidies granted by the MAMH do not take into account sanitation priorities at the watershed scale. For decades, billions of dollars have been distributed to municipalities without any regard for environmental priorities, even though that is the sole objective of sanitation systems, to improve water quality.
As for the main polluting sources identified, they will not be reduced in the medium term, depending on the current rate and the significant number of overflows.
It's time to act.
These studies were made possible thanks to the support and financial participation of the following organizations:
- Bécancour area watershed consultation group (GROBEC)
- Richelieu River Basin Consultation and Development Committee (COVABAR)
- The Assomption River Development Corporation (CARA)
- Châteauguay Zone Watershed Conservation and Development Society (SCABRIC)
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For informations :
Geneviève Tardy
Communications Manager
514 424-3556
communications@fondationrivieres.org
Photo: Laurent Morand/Flickr