Quebec municipalities will have to put the shoulder at the wheel to answer the objectives of the Quebec Strategy for Drinking Water Conservation which aims at a reduction of 20% of the overall consumption.
In March 2011, the Government of Quebec revealed the Quebec Strategy for Drinking Water Conservation which could in the long term allow savings of 2 billion $ over 20 years.
As of April, the municipalities will have to submit their first assessment accompanied by action plans. In April 2014, they must have reduced by 10% the quantity of water distributed per person, that is to say half of the objective aimed at, in the absence of which the Ministry will impose to them the installation of water meters in the non-residential sectors.
To reduce the leaks
The strategy does not only aim at reducing the average consumption of water per person in Quebec, but the municipalities will have in addition to reduce the leakage for the whole of the aqueduct networks.
“If the total objective is achieved, the Government will not have to intervene”, added Mr. Mathieu Laneuville, civil servant at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
On the other hand, if the objectives are not met, the Government will be more severe for the recalcitrant municipalities. One envisages the introduction of billing from 2017 onwards. The municipalities that are performing well will however be exempted.
“For businesses and industries, billing is on our doorsteps. As regards residential housing, I think that one is still far off”, commented Mr. LeBlanc.
The installation of the Quebec Strategy on Drinking Water Conservation should cost nothing to the taxpayers, affirmed Mr. Laneuville, since it will allow, on the contrary, appreciable savings, in particular by avoiding having to build larger water-purification plants.
Quebec is one of the largest water consumers in the world, with an average distribution of 795 liters per person per day. The abundance of the resource makes public-awareness campaigns less convincing.