Waste Water Diverted In To Recreation Bay After Accident
Written by Paul Graif on 12 August 2020
Approximately 20 000 to 30 000 gallons of grey water from the sewage lift station was diverted in to Recreation Bay yesterday afternoon in Kahnawake after an accident cut off power that brings sewage to the waste water treatment plant.
Lindsay Leborgne is a Chief at the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. “It caused an emergency situation because if too much water builds up there then it’s going to leak in to the hospital (KMHC) and surrounding houses in that area,” Leborgne said. “So they set up a pump and the closest thing to do at that moment was to pump it in to the sewage system which goes right in to the Bay, recreation Bay. I know everybody was very upset. We were upset. Nobody wants to see that happen. But it was the best of a bad choice that they were given.”
The dumping in to the Bay took place over a period of about 90 minutes.
It has since been sent to another area and dumped directly in to the Seaway where it is more easily dispersed.
“So what happens when you put any water in there, it has to take time to go out. When ships go by the water gets drawn away from there naturally, but it’s slow. It moves very slow,” Leborgne said.
