The ban on consuming drinking water in Longueuil has been lifted.
Officials are warning the water may still have a slight odour in some areas, but that South Shore residents who were without drinkable tap water for two days will now be able to use their water.
Longueuil Mayor Caroline St. Hilaire said at a news conference Friday evening that after numerous tests to ensure its quality, the water is safe to consume.
The municipality had been waiting for test results that were delayed by an odd sequence of events involving finger-pointing and alleged misinformation at all levels of government.
In a surprising move this morning, the municipality says armed federal officers from Environment Canada entered the pumping station and sealed off the water tank. At first, the officers were only doing an inspection. But soon after, they were reading employees at the station their rights and citing a violation of the Department of Fisheries Act. They seized a part of the pipe that was linked to the break, which had caused the fuel leak into the water system early Wednesday morning, said the municipality.
The Environment Canada officers soon realized their mistake -- the water in the tank was not going into the St. Lawrence River, so no laws were actually broken.
Later in the afternoon, Environment Canada confused matters further by issuing a statement saying they "did not issue any order regarding drinking water in the City of Longueuil, nor did [they] seal any well."
Longueuil officials described the incident as "a mess" and "inappropriate interference", which delayed the testing by over three hours but is moving forward.
The water ban affected citizens in Saint-Hubert, Vieux-Longueuil, Saint-Bruno and Boucherville. More than 20,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled into the sewage system, and eventually into the St. Lawrence River, early Wednesday morning.
The city had ordered four million litres of water and residents can pick up water in over 20 different distribution and filling centres. (See list below.) The city distributed more than 400,000 litres of water Thursday.
St. Hilaire said they will keep the water distribution service running until further notice for residents who are hesitant to drink the water due to its odour, but stressed it was safe to drink.
City officials explained Thursday morning that a pipe connected to a generator broke and leaked diesel fuel into the drain, which then made its way to the sewer system and then the river.
A call about the spill was received 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, but the fuel leak has started hours earlier, around 4 a.m.
At first, the city said there were no issues with the water. But Thursday morning, after some residents complained about a gas smell coming from their water, the city issued a preventative ban on consuming tap water.
St. Hilaire said the city issued the ban as soon as the municipal and provincial governments came to an agreement on how best to handle the situation.
City engineers said they didn't smell the fuel, but they did see traces of it on unfiltered water.
Officials at Quebec’s environment ministry say it's too late to start a clean-up operation because the City of Longueuil did not notify them early enough.
Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel has promised there will be an investigation into the incident.
"We'll first understand everything that happened and once we have an understanding of all the facts then if there are to be consequences, legal or otherwise, obviously the ministry will act accordingly," he said.
The city is advising residents to discard all ice cubes, beverages, and food prepared using tap water since Jan. 14, and to use bottled water for the following undertakings:
- Drinking, and preparing beverages;
- Preparing infant formula and baby food;
- Cooking (soup, rice, pasta, Jello, etc.);
- Making ice cubes.
Tap water is safe to use only for washing dishes and clothing, showering or bathing, the city says.
The city has opening distribution centres where residents can pick up drinking water. Some residents had to wait three hours for the water to arrive at one centre, at Colisee Jean Beliveau on Jacques Cartier Blvd. E.
The following is a list of the water bottle distribution centres:
Vieux-Longueuil
- Magasin Rodi, 1100 Marie-Victorin Blvd.
- Chalet Saint-Charles, 195 Chateauguay St.
- Colisee Jean Beliveau, 1755 Jacques Cartier St. E (open 24 h)
- Arena Olympia, 2950 Dumont St.
Saint-Hubert
- Garage de la Direction des travaux publics, 6355 Maricourt Blvd. (open 24 h)
- Centre sportif Rosanne Laflamme, 7405 du Centre Terrace
Greenfield Park
- Garage de la Direction des travaux publics, 4130 Grande Allee (filing and distribution of bottles)
Boucherville
- Centre sportif Pierre-Laporte, 490 chemin du Lac (open 24 h)
- Centre multifonctionnel, 1075 Lionel Daunais St.
Saint-Bruno
- Centre Marcel-Dulude, 530 Clairevue Blvd. W (open 24 h)
Water filling centres:
- Fire station 31 in the Le Moyne sector of Longueuil, 2205 Saint-Georges St.
- Fire station 33 in Greenfield Park, 1510 Bellevue St.
- Fire station 41, 55 Argyle St. Saint-Lambert
- Fire station 43 in Brossard, 3300 Lapiniere Blvd.
- Ateliers municipaux, 100 Murano St. in Sainte-Julie
- Garage municipal, 4130 Grande Allée in Longueuil
- Garage municipal, 1850 Marie-Victorin Blvd. in Varennes
- Arena municipal Jean-Rougeau de Saint-Basile, 10 rue Bella-Vista, Saint-Basile-le-Grand
- Stationnement des Ailes de la mode, Mail Champlain commercial centre, Brossard
