City to impose restrictions during water main repairs
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
On June 21, the Ville de Québec announced that a break had occurred in a major drinking water supply pipe in an area located near Rue de Chamerolles in the Les Rivières borough.
Between June 26 and July 5, city staff will pinpoint the source of the break in the 70-year-old pipe and conduct repairs, Mayor Bruno Marchand told reporters on June 25. Residents are asked to conserve water during this time, and to have a 48-hour supply of bottled or pre-filtered water in reserve (1.5 litres per person per day).
“We need the citizens concerned to reduce their water consumption so that we can maintain water quality… and ensure that everyone can get through these days safely and be capable of meeting their [water] needs,” Marchand said.
The break will affect water supply and quality in about 35 per cent of the city, including large swaths of La Cité-Limoilou, Les Rivières and La Haute-Saint-Charles boroughs; Vieux-Québec; Saint-Sacrement, Sillery and the Université Laval campus; and the town of Ancienne-Lorette.
Patrick Bastien, the director of Les Rivières borough, said the city will inspect the pipe to find the cause of the leak and “see if there are other issues” but he doesn’t anticipate the repairs or restrictions lasting beyond July 6. “There are a lot of possible causes — maybe there was already a micro-crack in the pipe when it was installed,” he added.
Water restrictions
Restrictions on the use of drinking water for the purposes of cleaning, watering and filling swimming pools in the affected areas will come into force on June 26 at 7 a.m and remain in effect until further notice. Citizens are also asked to limit household water use and reserve water for cooking and drinking on June 26 and 27.
The following activities are banned while restrictions are in effect:
- Washing vehicles, cleaning parking lots, driveways and the exterior cladding of houses.
- Watering lawns, both manually and using an automatic or underground watering system.
- Filling swimming pools
Regular compliance monitoring will be carried out, and citizens who do not respect the ban will receive a warning. In the event of a repeat offence, they will face a minimum fine of $1,000, and $2,000 for a subsequent offence.
The use of drinking water is permitted for:
- Watering vegetable gardens and edible plants using a manually controlled watering gun, between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- The partial filling of a pool for the shaping and maintenance of the canvas, limited to a maximum of 30 centimetres of water in the shallowest part of the pool, or an adjustment of the water level in order to avoid the breakdown of equipment connected to it.
- Watering lawns under certain conditions.
- Any intervention for the purposes of protecting, maintaining or restoring peace, public health or public safety.
The city also intends to suspend its own non-essential street cleaning and plant-watering activities during this time, although public pools and splash pads will remain open.
Marchand encouraged people who notice cloudy or discoloured tap water to call 311 and report it.
