THE SENATE Drury MAJORITY LEADER STATE OF NEW YORK oe {OR SENATE/ASSEMBLY RELATIONS ALCONOUSME DRUG ABUSE cum ta tet CCL SERVCE 6 PENSIONS SENATE AcRCTLIURE COMMITTEE “ CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME CORRECTION { i Cuma ars Tous es RECREATION {NER TELECOMMUNICATINS NANCE SENATOR PATTY RITCHIE HIGHER EDUCATION 48TH DISTRICT oa OSWEGO, JEFFERSON, ST. LAWRENCE COUNTIES — i emnen LEGILATTE COMMISSION ON October 2, 2015 cA SELECT COMBITTEE ON LIBRARIES Lana Pollack U.S. Chair International Joint Commission 2000 L Street, NW Suite # 615 Washington, D.C. 20440 Gordon Walker Canadian Chair International Joint Commission 234 Laurier Avenue West 22" Floor Ottawa, Ont. KIP 6K6 Dear Commissioners Pollack and Walker: I would like to ask the International Joint Commission (LIC) to investigate Montreal's d ‘dump eight billion cubic litres of sewage into the St. Lawrence River. ‘The City of Montreal plans to dump the equivalent of 2,600 Olympic-sized filled with wastewater from homes and businesses into North America’s most b October 18. City officials say it was an unavoidable part of the reconstruction of a expressway. While this was a common practice up until the 1980s, most comm work into their infrastructure upgrades ways to avoid polluting our waterways.Canada and the United States created the International Joint Commission to help protect the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes. While I realize that the dumping will occur in Canadian waters, downstream from any U.S. communities, I am very concerned by the precedent Montreal is setting for other communities along the St. Lawrence and the lakes. Thank you for your consideration. Yatty Ritchie State Senator ce: Congresswoman Elise Stefanik Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Senator Chuck Schumer Save The River PAR/jer