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<\/p>\nA stretch of road on the western edge of Montreal\u2019s downtown is reduced to a single lane as crews work behind orange fencing, with construction equipment, trucks and a temporary work trailer lining the roadside.<\/p>\n
The work on Atwater Avenue is part of an urgent repair to a major water main beneath the road \u2014 a project that has prompted Montreal to ask residents across much of the island to reduce their water consumption this summer.<\/p>\n
The city says the pipe will need to be shut down for several weeks while repairs are carried out. <\/p>\n
The closure comes as two other major water conduits elsewhere in the network are already out of service for rehabilitation work, increasing pressure on the system just as water demand typically peaks.<\/p>\n
As a result, Montreal is asking residents and businesses to reduce water use by roughly seven per cent, warning that further restrictions, including a watering ban, could be considered if necessary.<\/p>\n
For Susan Gaskin, a professor of civil engineering at McGill University whose work focuses on water systems, the need for emergency repairs is not particularly surprising.<\/p>\n
\u201cMontreal is an old city,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have quite an old system for potable water supply.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Atwater system dates back to the mid-19th century, and Montreal\u2019s drinking water network now stretches across thousands of kilometres of underground pipes. Maintaining such a vast system is a constant challenge, Gaskin said, particularly as infrastructure ages.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften maintenance is a little bit left [aside], and if you leave maintenance for a while, then the bill gets higher and higher,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Still, she says the city\u2019s decision to intervene before a major failure occurs should be viewed as a positive sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much better to do an emergency repair than have a break,\u201d Gaskin said.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Why is there a shortage when we’re surrounded by water?:<\/p>\n
Why are Montrealers being asked to use less water when they’re surrounded by it?<\/p>\n
The City of Montreal is asking residents to reduce water consumption this summer, a plea that’s prompted plenty of comments and questions from Montrealers.Montrealers use more water<\/p>\n
Large water mains such as the one under Atwater Avenue act as key arteries in the city\u2019s distribution system. Water is pumped from treatment plants to reservoirs before travelling through major conduits and progressively smaller pipes to homes and businesses.<\/p>\n
Under the current repair period, if water demand becomes too high, pressure throughout the system can begin to drop.<\/p>\n
City officials say conservation efforts are intended to avoid precisely that scenario.<\/p>\n
The request comes as Montreal continues to consume significantly more water than the Canadian average.<\/p>\n
According to the city, average residential consumption reached 304 litres per person per day in 2024. The Canadian average is roughly 220 litres. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe use a lot of water in Montreal, compared to the Canadian average. But it\u2019s the first time we ask the population to reduce the use of water,\u201d Chantal Morissette, head of Montreal\u2019s water services, said at last week\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
She said she couldn\u2019t recall a similar advisory to the public in two decades with the city.<\/p>\n
Part of the difference can be explained by leaks, both inside buildings and throughout the broader network.<\/p>\n
The city says it found at least one water leak in roughly 20 per cent of homes visited. <\/p>\n
Montreal has also long been plagued by crumbling water pipes within its network \u2014 so much so that research has shown trees benefit by drinking from them. <\/p>\n
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