Quebec Cities Face Billions in Wastewater Treatment Upgrades, Demand Funding

Quebec’s major cities are facing substantial financial burdens to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities and meet new provincial environmental standards, a situation prompting calls for increased financial assistance from the government. The changes, driven by a pan-Canadian strategy, aim to improve water quality and reduce environmental impact, but municipalities are concerned about the costs to taxpayers.

The new regulations, outlined in the Regulation respecting municipal wastewater treatment works, require cities to reduce discharges of organic matter by December 31, 2030. Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil are also mandated to treat ammoniacal nitrogen, adding significant expense to the required upgrades. Longueuil, for example, estimates that addressing ammoniacal nitrogen alone will cost $100 million.

Catherine Fournier, the mayor of Longueuil, expressed concern about the financial impact on residents. Overnight, increasing the City of Longueuil’s budget by $33 million means a tax increase of 8.25%, she stated, highlighting the potential strain on local finances. The total cost for renovations at the South Shore wastewater treatment center, serving Boucherville, Longueuil, Saint-Lambert, and Brossard, is estimated between $1 billion and $1.3 billion, based on 2022 estimates.

Montreal is undertaking a major overhaul of its Jean-R.-Marcotte wastewater treatment plant, the third largest in the world, treating nearly half of Quebec’s wastewater. The city has already earmarked $682 million over 10 years to replace incinerators responsible for over 30% of municipal greenhouse gas emissions, and an additional $461 million for improvements to the wastewater treatment process itself. The total cost for organic matter and ammoniacal nitrogen treatment is projected to reach $2.2 billion.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the mayor of Montreal, acknowledged the significant investment required. To require municipalities to respond to new regulations… But can we work together and say how we are going to do it realistically? she questioned, emphasizing the need for collaborative solutions.

Laval faces costs of approximately $930 million for upgrades to its three wastewater treatment plants. Stéphane Boyer, the mayor of Laval, believes that the current funding mechanisms are insufficient. Quebec and Ottawa must think in depth about the multiplication of standards which make processes more cumbersome, extend deadlines and cause bills to skyrocket, he stated.

Quebec City is also preparing for upgrades to reduce organic matter discharge and is awaiting clarification on whether treatment of ammoniacal nitrogen will also be required, potentially increasing costs to $1.5 billion.

The Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) has criticized the provincial government for not establishing a dedicated subsidy program to assist cities with these expenses. Guillaume Tremblay, president of the UMQ, stated, We are being given new responsibilities, new standards: funding will have to come with it. […] It’s fine, at some point, for a civil servant or someone in Quebec to say: “We’re going to add a standard”, but have we calculated how much it will cost, and is it to the benefit of taxpayers?.

While the Quebec government points to existing aid programs totaling $5.2 billion for water infrastructure, municipalities argue that accessing these funds is challenging. Mayor Bruno Marchand of Quebec City noted difficulties in securing funding even after initiating work, stating, We currently have programs that support us at six-month intervals, over periods of one or two years, and if we have started the work, we are not capable of obtaining funding from Quebec or Canada. He added, Yes, I agree with the standards, but if we don’t find ways to finance that, yes, we’re playing a bit of a hypocrite.

The impetus for these upgrades stems from a broader pan-Canadian effort to address wastewater discharges and protect marine biodiversity. The treatment of organic matter and ammoniacal nitrogen requires substantial infrastructure investments and the implementation of new technologies. Caroline Ky, a wastewater specialist with the City of Longueuil, explained that the upgrades will literally involve duplicating the factory. The footprint will be more than double the current surface area, requiring the addition of a biological treatment step to remove soluble contaminants.

Ammoniacal nitrogen, when present in high concentrations, poses a threat to aquatic life by reducing oxygen levels, creating hypoxic zones in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Yves Comeau, a retired professor from Polytechnique Montréal, explained that these zones can negatively impact fish and crustaceans. He also noted that while municipal wastewater treatment plants contribute to nitrogen discharge, the agricultural sector releases three times more into the St. Lawrence River.

However, Comeau emphasized the importance of regulating municipal discharges due to the quantitative standards and verification processes in place. One of the great advantages of imposing standards at the municipal level is that we have quantitative standards that are verified and guaranteed, he stated. In the agricultural field, these are guides to good practices that we want to impose, and the rigor of application of these standards is less severe.

These infrastructure investments represent a significant challenge for Quebec’s municipalities, requiring careful financial planning and collaboration between provincial and federal governments to ensure sustainable and effective wastewater management.