The first phase of work to replace a bar screen, a piece of wastewater pretreatment equipment, was completed this week at the Centre d'épuration Rive-Sud (CERS) located on Île Charron, according to Longueuil officials.
The city notes there was no overflow to the Saint Lawrence River, except on Feb. 16 and 17 when southern Quebec received significant rainfall.
On those days, 815 cubic metres of water overflowed into the river, something Longueuil officials note was authorized by Quebec's Ministry of Environment and Fight Against Climate Change.
Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier also thanked residents in Boucherville, Brossard, Longueuil and Saint-Lambert who reduced their water usage during the work to minimize the impact on the environment.
More work is planned for the network, including replacing the two remaining bar screens by the end of the year.
Bar screens are used to intercept large debris in wastewater.
They were installed in 1992 in Longueuil and have reached the end of their lifespan.
The City of Longueuil says it plans to invest $38 million over three years to modernize the agglomeration's wastewater treatment facilities, including $31 million for its treatment plant, the only one that treats wastewater from Boucherville, Brossard, Longueuil and Saint-Lambert.
Over the next 10 years, $600 million will be invested in drinking water, wastewater infrastructure and equipment across the agglomeration of Longueuil, which has a population of more than 400,000.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 23, 2022.
