Liberal Government approves dumping sewage in rivers.

Montreal To Dump 2 Billion Gallons of Raw Sewage Into Its Drinking Water
In a controversial move that has caused a massive public backlash, the city of Montreal will go ahead with their plans to dump over 2 billion gallons (8 billion liters) of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River — Montreal’s primary drinking water supply — in mid-October.

While the Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel has stated that the sewage dump will have “minimal consequences for the environment,” Canadian scientists and environmental activists strongly disagree.

https://www.antarcticajournal.com/m...allons-of-raw-sewage-into-its-drinking-water/
 
Not saying it is untrue (the purported 20-Year Waiver) - but the only reference I can find is Blacklock's Reporter - the source everyone has been using that started this rumour. Not seeing any official correspondence or news releases (yet) from the feds or Wilkinson.
 
Not saying it is untrue (the purported 20-Year Waiver) - but the only reference I can find is Blacklock's Reporter - the source everyone has been using that started this rumour. Not seeing any official correspondence or news releases (yet) from the feds or Wilkinson.
It's here.

http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2020/2020-06-27/html/notice-avis-eng.html#na3

ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA

FISHERIES ACT
Notice of intent to amend the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations
This notice of intent is to inform interested parties that Environment and Climate Change Canada is initiating the development of proposed regulatory amendments to the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations made under subsection 36(5) and paragraphs 43(1)(g.1), (g.2) and (h) of the Fisheries Act. The purpose of the amendments would be to provide a new opportunity for owners of wastewater systems to receive a transitional authorization (section 24). These amendments would apply to wastewater systems that would be eligible to receive a transitional authorization to the end of 2030 or 2040.

Objective
The Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations set national effluent quality standards that came into force in 2015. The Regulations allowed owners of wastewater systems, often communities, to apply for an extension (transitional authorization) beyond 2015 to meet the effluent quality standards if their existing infrastructure was not designed to meet these standards. Wastewater system owners had until June 2014 to apply.

Transitional authorizations allow communities more time to plan and finance upgrades to wastewater treatment plants, recognizing that constructing and upgrading the systems takes significant time to plan and finance. The duration of a transitional authorization is to the end of 2020, 2030, or 2040, based on the level of risk associated with a wastewater system (as defined in the Regulations). The risk criteria include consideration of effluent quality, volume, and receiving environment.

The proposal is to amend the Regulations to make transitional authorizations that will expire at the end of 2030 or 2040 available for owners of wastewater systems that do not currently have one and are eligible. The proposal will be based on the existing eligibility criteria of the Regulations and the existing system of points in Schedule 2, and where applicable, Schedule 3.

Any deposits that are not authorized under the Regulations remain subject to the general prohibition in subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.

Background
The Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations came into force in 2012. National effluent quality standards, achievable through a secondary level of treatment, came into effect in 2015.

The Regulations provide an authorization under the Fisheries Act to release effluent into water, as set out in the Regulations, for communities who are in compliance with the regulatory requirements. Communities not in compliance with the Regulations are subject to the general prohibition of the Fisheries Act, and potential enforcement actions.

The Regulations apply to any wastewater system that is designed to collect an average daily volume of 100 m3 or more (which is equivalent to a community of approximately 250 people).

The Regulations do not apply

  • in the Northwest Territories, in Nunavut, and north of the 54th parallel in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, due to the challenges of implementing standard treatment in the Far North; and
  • in Yukon and Quebec, as there are equivalency agreements in place for these jurisdictions.
Next steps
Environment and Climate Change Canada will be consulting interested parties on this proposal throughout 2020.

The proposed amendments are intended to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, in the fall of 2021. There will be a comment period following the publication, during which interested parties will have an opportunity to provide feedback.

To make your views known you can go here and say something. Others can just do the same old same old.
https://www.canada.ca/en/environmen...-wastewater-systems-effluent-regulations.html
 
Thanks, GLG - that's EXACTLY what I was looking for... looks like it just came out June 27, 2020
 
Montreal sewage discharge of 8,000,000,000 litres over a week works out to 13,227 litres per second for the week.

Water flow in the St.Lawrence River at Montreal is between 7,000,000 and 17,000,000 litres per second depending on season. Total flow for the week is 4,233,600,000,000 to 10,281,600,000,000 litres of water
 
$. The solution is to spend $ on tertiary treatment (which includes land costs) - which is why it hasn't happened for some municipalities.

Faecal coliforms are in of themselves a shorter-term health hazard to humans, and not to fish. biologic break-down of organics will lower DO levels - which can be deleterious to fish. The bigger issue often not admitted is various xenobiotic compounds, pharmacological, and endocrine disrupting chemicals that are only removed thru tertiary treatment.
 
Hmmmm, so Conservatives do sweet FA about sewage effluent during their three governing terms, the Liberals come to power and introduce an effluent reg with stds and targets but give a coming into force period so as not to bankrupt municipalities (ie yours and my municipal tax bill) and they’re evil destroyers of the environment? So folks are saying that having Conservative governments that turn a blind eye to this and choose not to regulate it is, or has been, the better approach? I’d prefer to forego the 20-yr implementation but some regulation and limits is a hell of a lot better than no regulation at all.

I’m clearly missing something?!!

Cheers!

Ukee
 
It’s more so up to the the people that live there to keep things clean, not the federal government. Continuing to dump raw sewage right where you live is a direct reflection of the people that live there. So is public pooping and needles on the street. Problems that are currently associated with liberal/ democrat run city’s in the US and Canada.
 
Hmmmm, so Conservatives do sweet FA about sewage effluent during their three governing terms, the Liberals come to power and introduce an effluent reg with stds and targets but give a coming into force period so as not to bankrupt municipalities (ie yours and my municipal tax bill) and they’re evil destroyers of the environment? So folks are saying that having Conservative governments that turn a blind eye to this and choose not to regulate it is, or has been, the better approach? I’d prefer to forego the 20-yr implementation but some regulation and limits is a hell of a lot better than no regulation at all.

I’m clearly missing something?!!

Cheers!

Ukee
Actually it’s pretty safe to say no government Liberal or Conservative has done enough. You can’t let the Liberals off the hook either. On either side of those 3 Conservative terms we had Martin, Chrétien and now Trudeau years. You can rest assured the lack of early action will cost us! Anyway it’s good to see the government is finally acting from outside pressure and it needs to be held to its promises. Covid has shown us how quickly money can magically appear!
 
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