Four of the five permanent snow dumps have already exceeded capacity. The Environment Ministry has authorized the use of a sixth site and more capacity at the other sites, all on a temporary basis.
(Photo: Martin Alarie)
Laval island snow-dumps exceed capacity, more space authorized
nathalie.villeuve@transcontinental.ca
The five sites used as snow dumps on Laval island are full. Recent heavy snowfalls have taxed the capacity of these locations to handle the enormous volume of the white stuff carted away by city workers clearing the roadways. The overflow is presently tolerated by the Environment Ministry due to these unusual circumstances.
“By end of December, we had already accumulated the equivalent of a full winter of snow,” reports city spokesperson Marc Laforge. Last weekend’s snowfall once again unleashed the fleet of snow removal machinery that saw trucks still carting the stuff away at week’s end.
Where does all this snow go? Four of the five official dumps are filled to capacity. “We have authorization to open a sixth site, in the old Lagacé quarry, behind the Palais de Justice,” (on Saint-Martin Boulevard) Mr. Laforge explains. Trucks have been dumping their loads at the site since the beginning of the week.
Tolerance
Permission to dump snow at this site, issued by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks (MDDEP) is valid until March 31. This type of authorization is accompanied by certain conditions, says MDDEP regional director Pierre Robert.
While snow dumping has to conform to provincial norms, the Ministry has exercised some tolerance. “We try to be a part of the solution, rather than the problem,” Mr. Robert
points out.
In addition to the 300,000 cubic meters created at the Lagacé quarry, the MDDEP also authorized in December another 1.45 million cubic meters at the five permanent municipal dumps.
January snowfalls have already cut into this cushion. In all, as of mid-January, Laval still had at its disposal 1.14 million cubic meters of empty space at the six sites. “We think this will see us through the winter,” speculates Marc Laforge.
Temporary depot
Swamped with too much snow, city officials opted for a solution that might draw criticism from the MDDEP. In the last few weeks, snow-loaded trucks dumped their cargo in Saint-François on a city lot that had not been authorized as a depot by the Ministry.
“The dump, despite its temporary status, constitutes an infraction,” on a site which is not authorized, concedes Pierre Robert. At the time of a visit to Saint-François by a MDDEP inspector this past Tuesday, the city had already redirected the snow removal to the official site on Saint-Elzéar Boulevard.
Inspectors also noticed the presence of dry materials such as branches, bricks, and soil. But this poses no problem, according to the Ministry, in view of the low quantity of the material and the temporary status of the site.
The steady stream of trucks was reported to the Regional Environment Council (CRE) of Laval by residents close to the site south of Marcel Villeneuve Boulevard, near l’Harmonie Street. According to these eyewitnesses, this kind of activity has been going on for five years.
Photo: Snow
(Photo: Martin Alarie)
Full-up at Laval snow dumps
Simard-Beaudry (East): 23,910 cubic meters over limit
Demix (Pont-Viau/Laval des Rapides): 118,222 cubic meters over limit
Saint-Martin (Chomedey): 160,047 cubic meters over limit
Sainte-Rose (Sainte Rose/Fabreville): 400,000 cubic meters capacity, 216,496 used
Dagenais (West): 33, 836 cubic meters over limit
Lagace (temporary): 300,000 cubic meters capacity, 125,000 used
Source: Ville de Laval.
Météo: Laval, 19 juillet 2008 / 20°C
/ Couvert
/ Vents: 6 Km/h / Humidité relative: 88 % 
Steven Guilbeault - Chronique environnement
Richard Cléroux - Le fouineur politique
