{"id":42849,"date":"2021-08-27T16:21:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T20:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/?p=42849"},"modified":"2023-09-18T12:39:46","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T16:39:46","slug":"elimination-des-raccordements-croises-polluants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/elimination-des-raccordements-croises-polluants\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Elimination of polluting cross-connections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-text-align-right\">Montreal, August 27, 2021 <br>TRANSMISSION BY EMAIL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Madame Andr\u00e9e Laforest, Minister<br>Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing<br>Jean-Baptiste-De La Salle Building<br>10, rue Pierre-Olivier-Chauveau, 4th floor<br>Quebec, QC G1R 4J3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Subject: Elimination of polluting cross connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Madam Minister,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cross connections of sewer pipes, that is to say sanitary connections flowing into the stormwater network (and vice versa), constitute a scourge against which the MAMH can play a crucial role. The resulting sanitary sewer discharges contaminate waterways. This problem was identified a long time ago by the MAMH and the solutions put forward do not produce results due to lack of adequate controls.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>La Direction des infrastructures du MAMH a ainsi produit un guide d\u2019accompagnement pour le d\u00e9pistage de la contamination \u00e0 l\u2019intention des municipalit\u00e9s il y a plus de 10 ans. Le MAMH a aussi introduit dans tous ses protocoles d\u2019entente de subventions aux infrastructures municipales, une clause exigeant des municipalit\u00e9s un plan d\u2019action d\u2019identification et de correction des raccordements crois\u00e9s sur leur territoire. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019une clause universelle qui oblige les municipalit\u00e9s \u00e0 prendre action, faute de quoi la subvention pouvait ne pas \u00eatre vers\u00e9e. Son respect devait \u00eatre v\u00e9rifi\u00e9 lors du versement de l\u2019aide financi\u00e8re, ce qui n\u2019est pas fait\u00a0: ni les d\u00e9marches ni les r\u00e9sultats obtenus par les municipalit\u00e9s ne sont d\u00e9pos\u00e9s au MAMH.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fondation Rivi\u00e8res has observed that municipalities do not take the necessary actions to identify the sources of contamination or do not carry out the necessary corrective measures, even if they involve illegal pollutant discharges! Waterways thus remain polluted at all times (and not only during episodes of rain causing wastewater overflows) and the recovery of certain uses is impossible, despite the billions of dollars invested to date in the water sanitation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The file of <a href=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/meadowbrook-un-ruisseau-de-montreal-ou-on-rejette-nos-egouts\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/meadowbrook-un-ruisseau-de-montreal-ou-on-rejette-nos-egouts\/\">Meadowbrook Creek<\/a> de Montr\u00e9al d\u00e9montre \u00e0 lui seul d\u2019importantes cons\u00e9quences environnementales et juridiques\u00a0: la Ville de Montr\u00e9al est tenue, par un jugement de Cour, de construire une conduite pluviale qui aura pour cons\u00e9quence de l\u2019ass\u00e9cher. Montr\u00e9al est victime des d\u00e9cisions des villes de C\u00f4te-Saint-Luc et de Montr\u00e9al-Ouest qui n\u2019ont pas corrig\u00e9 les raccordements crois\u00e9s sur leur territoire. Leurs eaux contamin\u00e9es s\u2019\u00e9coulent ainsi sur le territoire de Montr\u00e9al, dans le ruisseau. Ce probl\u00e8me, connu depuis plus d\u2019une dizaine d\u2019ann\u00e9es, aurait d\u00fb \u00eatre trait\u00e9 par le MAMH qui verse des subventions pour des travaux d\u2019infrastructures sans que la clause pr\u00e9sente dans les protocoles d\u2019entente ne soit appliqu\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our studies and communications in a multitude of municipalities show that the problem is widespread in several municipalities. It is clear that the voluntary and responsible approach is not enough.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommandations au MAMH\u00a0:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Communicate with the MELCC so that it requires, in its sanitation certificates, measures to identify and correct inverted connections;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remind municipalities, which have a memorandum of understanding in force, of the presence of the clause requiring an action plan for the correction of reverse connections, a clause which makes the payment of financial assistance conditional;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Review the internal file analysis process to ensure compliance with the clause, including the obligation to demonstrate compliance;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Provide for a strengthening of the clause in future memorandums of understanding so that activities to identify inverted connections and their correction are carried out during the project and not when the file is closed;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Provide in future financial assistance programs that eligibility for financial assistance is conditional on demonstration of the absence of reverse connections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanking you for your attention to this letter, we remain available for any additional information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please accept, Madam Minister, the expression of our distinguished greetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Alain Saladzius, P.Eng., FIC<br>President, Fondation Rivi\u00e8res<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: Fondation Rivi\u00e8res did not receive a response. The Foundation filed a complaint with the Sustainable Development Commissioner in the spring of 2023, and in the fall of the same year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lapresse.ca\/actualites\/2023-09-18\/programme-d-infrastructures-municipales-d-eau\/quebec-finance-la-refection-d-egouts-meme-s-ils-se-deversent-dans-des-cours-d-eau.php?sharing=true\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.lapresse.ca\/actualites\/2023-09-18\/programme-d-infrastructures-municipales-d-eau\/quebec-finance-la-refection-d-egouts-meme-s-ils-se-deversent-dans-des-cours-d-eau.php?sharing=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">she submitted the file to <em>The Press<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo: Ben Lambert\/Unsplash<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sewer cross-connections are a scourge against which MAMH can play a crucial role. The problem was identified long ago by MAMH, and the solutions put forward are not yielding results, due to a lack of adequate controls.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[40,77,79],"class_list":["post-42849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plaintes-lettres-aux-gouvernements","tag-eaux-usees","tag-politique","tag-pollution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}