MONTREAL – Canada's new environment minister has approved Montreal's plan to discharge 8 billion liters (2.1 billion gallons) of untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River.
Catherine McKenna said Monday that she's asking the city to implement several measures before dumping the waste water such as monitoring the discharge and to improve emergency-planning clean-up measures.
The discharge can begin as soon as the conditions are met and must be completed by Dec. 5.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has said the dump is necessary because the city must temporarily close a large sewer that feeds sewage to a treatment facility.
The discharge plan was suspended by the previous government during the election campaign.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, had asked U.S. environmental regulators to work with Canada to stop it. The EPA said it has no regulatory authority.
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