MONTREAL – The Canadian government has ordered Montreal not to dump 2 billion gallons (7.57 billion liters) of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River.
The city said it was necessary as it rebuilds a riverside expressway. Montreal had planned to dump the wastewater into the river as of Sunday and until Oct. 25, with officials saying it’s paramount the work be completed by mid-November.
But federal infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel said Wednesday there needs to be an independent review.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer had asked U.S. environmental regulators to work with Canada to stop it. The EPA said it has no regulatory authority.
The St. Lawrence River flows from Lake Ontario northeast into the Gulf of Lawrence and borders the U.S. for 114 miles (183 billion kilometers) in New York state, but the river lies entirely in Canada downstream of Montreal.
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