Montreal

Erin Brockovich, environmental activist, chimes in on Montreal sewage dump

Erin Brockovich, best known as the source of inspiration for the 2000 blockbuster hit starring Julia Roberts, has chimed in on Montreal's proposed sewage dump into the St. Lawrence River.

'This is pure TNT — turds 'n' tampons,' Erin Brockovich writes on Facebook

One of the 26 outlets from which the effluent is to spill into the St. Lawrence River is close to this cruiseship pier in Old Montreal. (CBC)

Erin Brockovich, best known as the source of inspiration for the 2000 blockbuster hit starring Julia Roberts, has chimed in on Montreal's proposed sewage dump.

"Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre wants to take a big dump in the St. Lawrence River," the environmental activist wrote on her Facebook page. "This is pure TNT (turds 'n' tampons) ... as bad as it gets folks.

"Is this 2015? Is this city a major player on the world scene? Host of the 1976 Olympics? City with a (former) Major League Baseball team? This is ridiculous and shameful … There has to be a better way. Call Mayor Coderre and tell him so (514) 872-3101," she continued.

Brockovich's Tuesday post has been seen by thousands of Facebook users.

The city says it needs to shut down an interceptor — a major sewer that collects the effluent from a network of other sewer lines on its way to the water treatment plant — for maintenance and to link it to a new snow dump.

As a result, for a week starting Oct. 18, raw sewage that would normally flow into the interceptor is to be diverted directly into the St. Lawrence River.