Testing the waters

BY ALBERT KRAMBERGER

editor@transcontinental.ca

The waterways around the West Island are fairly green, according to fecal coliform bacteria tests released last week by the Réseau de suivi du milieu aquatique.

Although six testing sites around the island of Montreal are rated polluted (over 1,001 parts of fecal coliform per 100 millimetres), none are in the West Island. The six polluted ‘red’ zones are found in Verdun’s Nun’s Island, one off the Ahuntsic / Cartierville area and four in Montreal East. However, eight spots reported in the West Island are rated bad (over 201 parts of fecal coliform per 100 mm), six of which are in Lake St. Louis, three off the shores in Beaconsfield (including St. James Park), one in neighbouring Baie d’Urfé (at the yacht club) as well as two in Dorval (including an area off Dahlia Avenue). There are two bad ‘orange’ ratings on Rivière des Prairies, one is in Pierrefonds (near Bocage Street), the other in Ile Bizard/Ste. Geneviève (near Terrasse Martin).

In Dorval, seven spots in Lake St. Louis were tested, four were deemed to be good (21 to 100 parts of fecal coliform per 100 mm), including Pine Beach Park, two were zoned bad and one, Valois Bay, was rated satisfactory (101 to 100 parts of fecal coliform per 100 mm).

In Pointe Claire, three spots in Lake St. Louis were tested, two were deemed to be good, including Stewart Hall, and one was rated excellent, near the canoe/kayak club.

In Beaconsfield, six sites were tested, three were rated bad, two good, including Centennial Park, and one satisfactory (Lakeview Park).

In Baie d’Urfé, two sites are rated good and one bad.

In Ste. Anne de Bellevue, three spots are rated good, including Kelso Park, and two satisfactory, including downstream from the lock.

In Senneville (Lake of Two Mountains), one area was rated excellent (near the lodge) and another good.

In Pierrefonds, five spots along Rivière des Prairies are rated good, including Julie-Dauth Park, four are deemed excellent, including Cap St. Jacques Park, three satisfactory, including Rive Boisée Park, and one bad.

In Roxboro, one area was rated good (near Ile Roxboro Park) and one satisfactory (near First Avenue).

In Ile Bizard/Ste. Geneviève, six spots are rated excellent, including Denis Benjamin Viger Park, three are good, including Pointe Theoret, and one bad.

For more information, check www.rsma.qc.ca or ville.montreal.qc.ca.