Effective immediately, the Ville de Rigaud is suspending the issuance of certain permits and certificates within its urban perimeter due to the saturation of its sewer system. The draft by-law to this effect was adopted at the October 8 meeting.

As a result, the city can no longer issue construction or subdivision permits, or any certificate of authorization or occupancy whose function or use is likely to increase wastewater inputs to the treatment plant or alter the duration of their treatment before discharge into the Rigaud River.

This suspension of the issuance of certain permits and certificates, an exceptional and temporary measure known as the Règlement à caractère provisoire, is the result of the latest report by FD Expert Conseil, obtained by the City in July 2024, which concludes that the plant has no residual capacity according to the most recent calculations approved by the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP).

The duration of the suspension will depend on the time required to bring the plant and its ponds up to standard, so as to optimally meet all of Rigaud's current and future needs, in the best interests of taxpayers. The provisional by-law is for a maximum period of two years, and may be renewed, if necessary, after this deadline, until the wastewater treatment system is brought up to standard.

“Since the lagoons have reached their ultimate capacity, and several construction projects submitted before the suspension are in the process of being carried out and will increase wastewater inputs, the City must take concrete action today to enable it to meet its environmental protection obligations. These actions include the purchase and installation of three new surface aerators at a cost of nearly $43,000 to improve the efficiency of the ponds, and the annual sludge emptying, which is generally required every ten years. What's more, during underground infrastructure rehabilitation work in older sectors of the city, all unified conduits will be separated into sanitary and storm conduits,” states the city in a press release.

Applications submitted before and after October 8 

In concrete terms, this measure means that only those who have filed applications for permits, including construction, renovation or reconstruction, that are substantially complete and compliant before Tuesday, October 8, 2024 will be granted a permit.

All other applications submitted on or after Tuesday, October 8 will have to be analyzed to determine whether they contain prohibited interventions or are admissible under the exceptions applicable to residential, commercial, industrial or community buildings, as stipulated in By-law number 412-2024, scheduled for adoption on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, and available for consultation on the website.

3,000 m3 of water per day to treat

Located at the corner of rue Saint-Antoine on the edge of autoroute Félix-Leclerc (autoroute 40), the wastewater treatment plant and its aerated ponds were built in 1985 with a view to serving the residents of the urban perimeter over an approximate lifespan of 25 to 30 years.

Although each pond can hold the equivalent of nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 17,000 m³ each, the wastewater purification process requires an average of ten days to treat the volume for which the plant was designed, i.e. 2,650 m³ per day. Today, however, it treats 3,000 m³.

Although this exceedance has no impact on the quality of the water discharged into the Rigaud River for the time being, as attested by the samples tested by the government-accredited laboratory, the plant will not be able to sustain this pace indefinitely, hence the need to implement this measure to temporarily curb development until it is brought up to standard.

14 years of waiting

In 2010, the Town carried out an initial preliminary study to assess the capacity of its ponds. However, after being turned down for funding under the Fonds pour l'infrastructure municipale d'eau (FIMEAU), it decided to put the project on hold until 2016, considering that the lifespan of this type of facility could be longer.

In a press release, the municipal administration reports that several studies and analyses have been commissioned since 2016.

“Successive administrations have commissioned various studies and analyses; issued calls for tender; requested clarifications; obtained reports, plans and specifications, as well as recommendations based on different criteria, parameters and processes; and received estimates for upgrading the plant and ponds ranging from $3.5 million (in 2016), to $12.2 million (in 2019), to $15.4 million (in 2019), and finally to $23.7 million (in 2021). To date, these discrepancies have not allowed elected officials to make a fair and informed decision, taking into account the promise of a provincial government subsidy of just over $10 million in 2020,” reads the press release.

A new consultation

Considering that seven years have passed since the city consulted citizens on the development of its territory as part of the realization of its Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 2018-2033, elected officials felt it imperative to consult them again on the vision they have for their living environment, especially since the demographics and needs of the community have greatly evolved in terms of housing, transportation and accessibility.

In addition, the findings of the resident survey on housing in Rigaud, as well as those that will emerge from the citizen consultations planned for the fall with new residents, long-time residents, real estate developers, businesses and merchants, as well as community organizations, will prove essential in finalizing the vision of development in the various sectors of the city and modeling the maximum capacity of wastewater inflows to be treated in the long term.

Project office

To follow this file and get more answers to their questions, interested or concerned parties can obtain information by consulting the section dedicated to this file in the Project Office section or by contacting the Urban Planning Division by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 450 451-0869, ext. 245.

A public consultation will be held on Tuesday, October 29, at 7 p.m. in the Salle de l'Amitié of the Paul-Brasseur building (10, rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste Est). This consultation will give interested parties an opportunity to be heard by council members.