Quebec has still not managed to identify the source of the motor oil found in a storm sewer pipe last Thursday, which is believed to be the cause of two episodes of polluting slicks that occurred in the river at Pointe-aux-Trembles this month.
Four days after the second spill allowed authorities to pinpoint Montreal’s water system as the source of the pollution, the Ministry of the Environment says it is continuing its investigation.
“Other samples will be taken from a chamber in the storm sewer network to determine whether the contaminant passed through the storm sewer network pipe,” said regional spokesperson Ghizlane Behdaoui.
Already, samples of hydrocarbons taken from the pipeline last Thursday along the Tricentenaire Boulevard have confirmed that it was the same substance as during the first spill which occurred on July 11.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Samples of the oil taken from the pipeline last Thursday confirmed that it was the same substance as the first spill on July 11.
In the meantime, the outlet of the sewer pipe has been surrounded by booms and booms “in anticipation of the next episodes of rain to come in order to contain the contamination if there should be a new inflow,” she adds.
Meanwhile, the river clean-up operation, which had only just finished when the second spill occurred last Thursday, continues. The washing of the docks and boats has been completed.
Asked by The Press Last Thursday, the president of the Rivers Foundation and water treatment engineer, Alain Saladzius, estimated that it would be “only a matter of time” before the authorities managed to trace the source of the pollution by examining the water supply network.