MONTREAL - Teens from 10 different schools combined to clean up Bouchard Creek Saturday, as the polluted waterway finally got some much-need attention.
The waterway had been littered with old tires and even toxic waste.
It’s an important issue because the creek could affect the drinking water in LaSalle and Lachine.
Some students appeared quite taken aback at the amount of pollution in and near the water.
“From all the tires that we found, and the toxic waste buckets, it’s been overwhelming,” said student Alex McIntyre.
One environmentalist said that it could even be a safety issue.
“The Bouchard Creek enters the St. Lawrence River and Lac St. Louis upstream from Lachine’s water intake. Filtration plants cannot remove paint thinners,” said Daniel Green of the Society to Vanquish Pollution
Organizer Maya Vodanovic said that airport de-icing fluid also gets into the creek.
However Lachine Borough Mayor Claude Dauphin said that his borough’s filtration system offers safe water. Yet he conceded that the borough is considering moving its water intake further east just to be safe.
The Mayor of Dorval expressed sadness that so many have polluted the creek, which remains home to ducks and other wildlife.
“It’s a shame people use it as a dump,” said Edgar Rouleau. “We’re fortunate our kids do that, they’re cleaning up.”
