As the Fondation Rivières reminded us a few weeks ago, there have been, on average, 52,800 spills per year in Quebec over the past five years. Here is a small overview of what some cities are planning to do about it.
Longueuil is struggling with aging infrastructure. As a result, it will need to find $1 billion by 2030 to upgrade both its drinking water and wastewater treatment systems.
Across the St. Lawrence River, Montreal plans to commission its new wastewater ozonation plant by 2025. The project, originally estimated at $200 million, is now at $717 million.
Across the Rivière des Prairies, in Repentigny, the authorities are trying to lower the cost of energy requirements for wastewater treatment. To do this, they are participating in various research projects.
Finally, among the 81 municipalities that do not treat their wastewater before releasing it into the environment is Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, in the Saguenay region. The mayor, Claude Riverin, says he is still waiting for "money from Quebec" to treat the wastewater his constituents are discharging into the Saguenay River.
More details in the article of Le Devoir online » [in French]
