Work begins along OCR

Work is now underway to replace the water and sewer network along Old Chateauguay Road. 

Traffic was temporarily blocked on Kirby Road by the cross Thursday as workers gathered to hook up homes in the area to nearby fire hydrants, so they can still access water while the work is ongoing. 

“Today we’re just rerouting some water so that everybody still has water during the construction process,” said Clint Goodleaf, a civil engineer overseeing the work. “The bulk of the project is the water and sewer replacement. The sewer lines are 50 years old, if not older, and the water too, so they’re due for an upgrade.”

The work is expected to last until November. Traffic lanes will remain open whenever possible to allow drivers to continue getting around as usual, he said. 

“We’re adding a valve to change the direction of the water flow, and a couple of new pipes,” Goodleaf said. 

The pipes serving water in the area that’ll be removed are made out of ductile iron. The sewer network, meanwhile, is made of concrete containing asbestos, which will be sent off to a specialized waste facility for disposal, he said. 

A total of $4.16 million has been set aside to carry out the work in the area, funding that the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) secured from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). 

Replacing the pipes by the cross will make it possible to expand the water and sewer network on the OCR past Diabo Road, should the band council decide to do so one day.

“There isn’t a plan yet, but I believe as the community grows over the years it will have to expand beyond its current limit,” said Brendan Montour, director of the MCK’s Capital Unit. A new surface water drainage system will also be put in place during the work, which will conclude with a repaving of the roads with asphalt. 

Any private property, such as driveways, walkways, hedges and fences, damaged as a result of the work will be repaired or replaced by the time construction is complete, the MCK has assured the community. 

Kahnawa’kehró:non will also be notified in advance about any new road closures in the area.

“We’re trying to only disturb one intersection at a time, so that you can still get through the area,” Montour said.

The MCK is also working toward expanding the water and sewer network along Route 207. A total of $300,000 has been set aside to commission a study on how to best service residents there, a study that’ll also look at how Kahnawake can modernize its sewage treatment plant and water filtration plant. 

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