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News release
Study Tracking Contaminants in the St. Lawrence River released
Québec, October 15, 1998 – Environment Minister Christine Stewart today released a study showing an improvement in the St. Lawrence River quality and detailing the challenges ahead.
The study titled St. Lawrence River Mass Balance Study shows that PCB concentrations in the St. Lawrence are between 5 and 10 times lower than those recorded in Lake Ontario during the 1980s, indicating a clear improvement.
"This study provides a portrait of the chemicals in the St. Lawrence River" said Minister Stewart, "and will assist in further reducing the pollution levels which in some cases are some of the lowest levels in the world when compared with other major river systems."
The eighty-five chemical contaminants targeted in this study by the St. Lawrence Centre (SLC) were grouped into the following six categories: metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine and organophosphorous pesticides and triazines.
"Although this study answers important questions related to the chemical contamination in the St. Lawrence River and shows an improvement in water quality, we are still faced with major challenges in restoring one of the world’s greatest river systems back to health," said Minister Stewart.
One of the key tools to clean up the river is the St. Lawrence Vision 2000 (SLV2000) agreement signed in April 1994 (phase III of the St.Lawrence Action Plan -SLV2000- agreement signed in June 1998). This agreement involves the participation of over ten Canadian and Quebec government departments, who agreed to work together to protect, preserve and restore the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries in order to return their use to the public with a view of sustainable development.
This study is part of Phase II of the St.Lawrence Action Plan and quantifies the amounts of chemicals reaching the St. Lawrence from the Great Lakes and its main tributary, the Ottawa River. It also estimates the quantities of contaminants carried into the Estuary of the St. Lawrence.
The study was conducted between May 1995 and September 1996.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Barluk
Office of the Minister
(819) 997-1441
Également disponible en français
Date modified: 1998/10/15 – Important Notices
