From its source near the devastated town of Lac-Mégantic, the Chaudière River flows 185-kilometres northward into the St. Lawrence River at Québec City (near the Autoroute Henri-IV crossing). While media reports are scarce, the 100,000 gallons of oil that spilled into the Chaudière River from the train derailment at Lac-Mégantic are requiring precautions in the downstream communities of Saint-Georges (which since the derailment switched to drawing its drinking water from Poulin Lake), Beauceville, Sainte-Marie and Levis (now getting its water from the Beaurivage River), and could reach the St. Lawrence River according to the Quebec ministry of the environment. The ministry also notes that to date 4 million litres of oil-tainted water have been pumped out of the river and the town’s lake. Jo Cooper, a long-time resident of Lac-Mégantic, says, “To see the Chaudière River as it is, I was crying”. The death toll in Lac-Mégantic has now risen to 35 people, with another 15 people missing and presumed dead.
