Town of Rigaud takes over private wells after company ceases operation

Around 170 residents of Rigaud who rely on private wells for drinking water found out last week the company that runs the wells suddenly ceased operations.

Aqua-Gestion maintains 25 private wells across Quebec. Its owner and sole employee, Serge Scraire, posted on the company’s website that he no longer had the financial resources nor the energy to maintain the wells.

He said unpaid bills from clients, government regulations and health problems prevented him from carrying on, and that “it’s now up to authorities and representatives to take ownership of what’s next.”

The town of Rigaud sent notices to residents last week informing them that they will now be taking over the wells.

Resident Kim Vyboh says she was surprised by the news, but said there had been ongoing problems with the maintenance of the wells. She said the last residents on her street were without water for six days.

“With the permission of Aqua-Gestion we would go down into the well and start the generator ourselves, because when we called him for a service call, he was always like four or five or six hours away and didn’t have anybody in the area to start the water for us,” Vyboh said.

Vyboh said residents paid Aqua-Gestion $250 per year for the service, and now questions what it will cost now that the town is taking over.

“We don’t know if we’re going to be responsible to fix the installations. Put them up to code. Like, who’s going to be responsible for that? I really hope that we don’t have to pay to get our water,” she said.

Rigaud is among 12 municipalities that may have to assume the cost of the sudden closure of Aqua-Gestion, since Quebec’s Ministry of the Environment told CTV News there are “no subsidies for situations such as these.” The ministry added it’s ensuring the quality of the water complies with regulations.

Like many residents on her street, Vyboh has a water filtration system in her home and says so far there have been no problems with the quality of the water.

“I just want to make sure I’m not going to run out,” she said.