As Residents Enter Second Day Without Water, Future Uncertain for Canadian City After Diesel Spill
Longueuil may face legal action as 230,000 people wait for drinking water
Residents of Longueuil, Canada entered their second day of a no-drinking order on Friday, leaving 230,000 people without tap water as the slow cleanup of a diesel fuel spill earlier this week continued.
At a press conference Friday morning, officials said they were waiting for the results of a fourth round of water quality testing.
The advisory was put into place Wednesday after the Centre d'epuration Rive-Sud, a waste water treatment plant, leaked 7,400 gallons of diesel fuel into the sewers, where it eventually found its way into the St. Lawrence River, which supplies drinking water for the city. Officials lifted the ban Wednesday afternoon, but that decision proved to be hasty as residents continued to report the smell of gas in their water; the order was then reinstated and has remained in place since then.
But the city's woes did not stop with its water crisis. Urgence-Environnement, announced later Wednesday that Longueuil, located on Montreal's South Shore, may face legal action for its slow response to the spill. The leak occurred at 4:00am ET, and Urgence-Environnement was not notified until just before 9:30am. By the time an emergency team was dispatched to the scene, much of the damage had already been done.
"The reservoir completely emptied itself and the diesel infiltrated the city's sewage system," said Christian Blanchette, the regional coordinator for Quebec's environmental ministry, during a press conference Thursday morning. "It was pumped to Ile Charron, the water treatment plant for the city of Longueuil."
"Between the wee hours of the morning and 9 a.m., something should have been done but wasn't," Blanchette said.
CBC also reported that Longueuil fumbled its attempt to provide bottled water to city residents. Officials arrived late at distribution centers, forcing people to wait in long lines for limited supplies.
The Canadian government is reportedly intervening and taking control of Longueuil's filtration plant, according to CBC reporter Steve Rukavina.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Residents of Longueuil, Canada entered their second day of a no-drinking order on Friday, leaving 230,000 people without tap water as the slow cleanup of a diesel fuel spill earlier this week continued.
At a press conference Friday morning, officials said they were waiting for the results of a fourth round of water quality testing.
The advisory was put into place Wednesday after the Centre d'epuration Rive-Sud, a waste water treatment plant, leaked 7,400 gallons of diesel fuel into the sewers, where it eventually found its way into the St. Lawrence River, which supplies drinking water for the city. Officials lifted the ban Wednesday afternoon, but that decision proved to be hasty as residents continued to report the smell of gas in their water; the order was then reinstated and has remained in place since then.
But the city's woes did not stop with its water crisis. Urgence-Environnement, announced later Wednesday that Longueuil, located on Montreal's South Shore, may face legal action for its slow response to the spill. The leak occurred at 4:00am ET, and Urgence-Environnement was not notified until just before 9:30am. By the time an emergency team was dispatched to the scene, much of the damage had already been done.
"The reservoir completely emptied itself and the diesel infiltrated the city's sewage system," said Christian Blanchette, the regional coordinator for Quebec's environmental ministry, during a press conference Thursday morning. "It was pumped to Ile Charron, the water treatment plant for the city of Longueuil."
"Between the wee hours of the morning and 9 a.m., something should have been done but wasn't," Blanchette said.
CBC also reported that Longueuil fumbled its attempt to provide bottled water to city residents. Officials arrived late at distribution centers, forcing people to wait in long lines for limited supplies.
The Canadian government is reportedly intervening and taking control of Longueuil's filtration plant, according to CBC reporter Steve Rukavina.
Residents of Longueuil, Canada entered their second day of a no-drinking order on Friday, leaving 230,000 people without tap water as the slow cleanup of a diesel fuel spill earlier this week continued.
At a press conference Friday morning, officials said they were waiting for the results of a fourth round of water quality testing.
The advisory was put into place Wednesday after the Centre d'epuration Rive-Sud, a waste water treatment plant, leaked 7,400 gallons of diesel fuel into the sewers, where it eventually found its way into the St. Lawrence River, which supplies drinking water for the city. Officials lifted the ban Wednesday afternoon, but that decision proved to be hasty as residents continued to report the smell of gas in their water; the order was then reinstated and has remained in place since then.
But the city's woes did not stop with its water crisis. Urgence-Environnement, announced later Wednesday that Longueuil, located on Montreal's South Shore, may face legal action for its slow response to the spill. The leak occurred at 4:00am ET, and Urgence-Environnement was not notified until just before 9:30am. By the time an emergency team was dispatched to the scene, much of the damage had already been done.
"The reservoir completely emptied itself and the diesel infiltrated the city's sewage system," said Christian Blanchette, the regional coordinator for Quebec's environmental ministry, during a press conference Thursday morning. "It was pumped to Ile Charron, the water treatment plant for the city of Longueuil."
"Between the wee hours of the morning and 9 a.m., something should have been done but wasn't," Blanchette said.
CBC also reported that Longueuil fumbled its attempt to provide bottled water to city residents. Officials arrived late at distribution centers, forcing people to wait in long lines for limited supplies.
The Canadian government is reportedly intervening and taking control of Longueuil's filtration plant, according to CBC reporter Steve Rukavina.