A group of Shawinigan residents wants to know the truth about the Lac-à-la-Pêche water treatment plant file. They demand that the City make public all documents related to what they call “the fiasco of the treatment plant”.
Since the beginning of December, a boil water advisory has targeted 30,000 Shawinigan residents. Since the plant is closed, the water it distributed in the area is still not drinkable.
From its construction until now, the citizens’ group wants all the information on the treatment plant. “It starts from point A, the choice of source, the choice of technologies, the location of the site, what was planned for the releases,” listed one of the residents, Lynn Gravel.
They are worried about all the costs that restarting could generate. Already, cleaning work has started before winter and is far from over according to one of the plant’s neighbors.
“There is not even 10% done and in the 10% there is still some left. It cost $800,000 for seven weeks of work, so we can imagine what it will cost in the future to do the entire length of the stream,” lamented André Berthiaume, who saw his land be contaminated by toxic waste.
Another resident, Nathalie Côté, also hopes to get answers. “The special tax for drinking water has increased here. Why, when we have been on a boil water advisory for six weeks? Is it the cleaning of the factory that we are charged with?
So far, all requests for access to information made by these citizens have been refused.
A march is also organized on Sunday for the residents of Shawinigan. The group invites the population to gather from Place Biersmans to the Town Hall. Once there, a “symbolic gesture to denounce the drinking water crisis will be made”, suggested Lynn Gravel. This would be the first of about ten actions to obtain the desired information.
The City simply replied that for the moment, the follow-up is to be determined to restart the treatment plant. Also, before taking action in any way, citizens will be duly informed.
–
