At Monday night's meeting at city hall, St. John's city council voted to accept a bid from Farrell's Excavating of $855,585.63 for snow-clearing services.

Mayor Danny Breen says that's about $600,000 more than what was spent last year.

"We were advised by the federal government that — as of this December — that we would be no longer able to dump snow in the harbour," he said.

Mayor Danny Breen says the city has to triple what it's spending on extra contractors to clear snow from downtown St. John's. (Jeremy Eaton/CBC)

Breen explained harmful materials sometimes get caught up in the snow, and the Fisheries Act doesn't allow for things like plastic to be dumped into the ocean.

That means all the snow that builds up in the downtown core of St. John's over the winter will have to be trucked across town to Robin Hood Bay.

But the city has no other option — Water and Duckworth streets have to be cleared for public safety and in the event of an emergency.

"It is a federal requirement that we have to meet — it has to be done. Not any choice involved in it," Breen said.

St. John's budgeted more than $16.6 million on snow clearing in 2019. (City of St. John's)

The added expense is approximately triple what the city paid last year, and it will be about three times as much work for city staff and the hired contractors.

"You want to maintain the same amount of removal and the same speed of removal," Breen said.

"That's what is required to basically have the service that you've had in previous years."

The mayor said that if it snows more, it could cost more, but if there is less snow, the city will save some money.

The city will review snow-clearing operations at the end of the winter.

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