Contamination fears close Lachine Canal to recreational use

The threat of harm from contaminated water has rendered the Lachine Canal off limits to kayakers, canoeists and other small-boat operators until at least Wednesday morning.

The heavy rain on the weekend in the Montreal region caused an overflow in the municipal sewer system, and potentially contaminated waterenteredthe canal.

Parks Canada issued a public security notice banning activity on the water for 72 hours Monday.

The precautionary measure is often taken after heavy rains. However,Parks Canada said the root of the problemlies with the city's sewer system,which dumps excess into the waterway to avoid a backup.

No fix until 2017

Montreal is in the process of building a water-retention centre that will prevent sewage from entering the canal.

"The construction of this retention structure willsignificantly reduce the number of overflows and the amount of pollutants released during theseoverflow incidents," city spokesman Philippe Sabourin said in a email statement.

"The aim is toreduce the number of waste water discharges to the Lachine Canal to once every five years, in accordance with federalrequirements and regulations."

The multi-phaseproject is slated to be completed in 2017.

Until then, sports and businesses that dependon access to the canal are subject to the whim of the weather.

Matthew Beinz of H20 Adventures, a company that rents kayaks and paddle boats on the canal, said the intermittent closures are difficult for the business.

"It's really frustrating equally for us and our clients," he said.

Daybreak Montreal2:57Low water quality halts training for Lachine dragon boat team

The Lachine Canal is temporarily closed after heavy rainfall overflowed the sewer system and potentially contaminated the water poured into the canal. The captain of a local dragon boat team says the closure is preventing the team from training.

"Of course we lose money. As employees, we lose hours. And then for our customers, well,they can't go out kayaking which is the biggest part of our business."