Residents in Montreal, surrounding cities asked to reduce water consumption this summer

A backyard sprinkler in action. (Sóc Năng Động /pexels.com)

Residents living across all the boroughs of the City of Montreal, as well as its surrounding municipalities, are being asked to collectively reduce their consumption of drinking water over the coming weeks.

The additional cities and towns affected by the save-water measure include Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montreal East, Montreal West, Mount Royal and Westmount.

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This is due to “emergency work that must be carried out on the water distribution system,” according to officials with the City of Montreal.

In particular, the city notes that following the inspection and monitoring of a main distribution line under Atwater Avenue, experts have concluded that it “requires immediate attention.”

“To carry out this work, the conduit will need to be shut down for several weeks, while two other lines, located elsewhere in the system, are already shut down for reconstruction or rehabilitation work,” it stated.

“Since this new shutdown comes at the start of the summer season, when water demand is at its highest for the year, there will be significant strain on the drinking water production infrastructure.”

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Officials confirm that work in the area is set to begin in the coming days.

“Thanks to the increased monitoring of our network, we are able to intervene at the right time to secure the drinking water supply,” said Alan DeSousa, executive committee member responsible for mobility and infrastructure with the City of Montreal.

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”This preventive approach allows us to act before a break occurs. The city will do its part with targeted measures, but the success of the operation also depends on a collective effort.”

Officials add that they hope to reduce water consumption by 100 million litres per day.

As such, the city says it will be suspending:

• continuous pipe flushing;
• preventive flushing and cleaning of sewer lines;
• flow tests during fire hydrant inspections;
• certain activities, including limiting decorative fountains that don’t have recirculation loops, street washing and non-essential watering.

Officials say that workers are being deployed to quickly repair any leaks in the system to limit water loss.

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The city is also urging residents to comply with its bylaw on the use of drinking water by:

• reducing watering;
• avoiding using water for outdoor cleaning, such as for a car or the exterior of a home;
• taking other daily steps to conserve water, including turning off the tap when brushing teeth.

Depending on how the situation evolves, officials note that additional measures may need to be implemented, including a watering ban.