Montreal urges continued water conservation amid major aqueduct repairs

The City of Montreal is urging residents to keep conserving water as emergency repairs on a major aqueduct continue through the summer.

Officials say work on the aging water main beneath Atwater Avenue remains on schedule. The aqueduct supplies drinking water to about 1.3 million people across 16 Montreal boroughs.

Repairs began after inspections determined urgent work was needed to prevent a potential rupture. So far, two sections of the aqueduct have been repaired, while work on a third section is ongoing. A fourth and critical section is expected to begin in the coming days.

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Executive committee member Alan De Sousa says the city is hopeful repairs can be completed by the end of August or early September.

A cooler, wetter summer has helped keep water demand lower than expected, but officials warn that future heat waves could quickly increase consumption.

The city launched a voluntary conservation campaign in May, asking residents to reduce daily water use by about 100 million litres, or roughly seven per cent of normal consumption. Montreal also suspended several water-intensive municipal activities and shut down decorative fountains as part of the effort.

Officials set a target of keeping daily water consumption below 1.4 billion litres and say that goal has been met so far.

The repairs have also highlighted the challenges posed by Montreal’s aging water infrastructure, which is valued at approximately $43 billion. De Sousa says the city faces a funding gap for needed upgrades and is calling on other levels of government for additional support.

City officials warn a complete watering ban could still be imposed if voluntary conservation efforts are no longer enough to protect the drinking water system.