Montreal will begin pouring raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River at a minute after midnight Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.

At a press conference Tuesday, Montreal mayor Denis Coderre vowed the release of two billion gallons of sewage would last no more than six days.

He said it was an unavoidable decision as part of a much-needed repair of a major highway.

"Know that this decision, as unpopular as it is, was taken in a responsible manner,"said Coderre. "If we could have avoided this choice, we would have done it. The reality is this decision is based on the lowest impact on the environment."

Related stories: New Canadian government allows Montreal sewage-dumping plan The news comes a day after new Canadian environment minister Catherine McKenna reversed a previous federal decision and approved the city’s plan, calling it “less than ideal.”

Even though Montreal is downriver from the New York stretch of the St. Lawrence, North Country officials reacted harshly. State Senator Patty Ritchie called the move “extremely disappointing” and blamed Montreal for allowing its infrastructure to age to the point that this was the best option. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer had also spoke out against the plan last month, saying the river should be treated as a single ecosystem.

Lee Willbanks, director of Thousand Islands-based environmental group, Save the River, called the decision "outrageous" and said he’s gravely disappointed in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new government. "This was a chance for the new government in Canada to come out and make a statement in support of fresh water," said Willbanks. "If they had undertaken the proper planning when the project started I don’t’ think we would be here. I think it’s a totally backward way to deal with this problem."

Willbanks says Montreal’s actions are setting a dangerous precedent for other smaller towns, which also have to deal with sewage and stormwater along the St. Lawrence.