Montreal wants to reduce water consumption: Here are a few ways you can help

Children play in a water sprinkler.

The City of Montreal, as well as its surrounding municipalities, is asking residents to work together to reduce their consumption of drinking water over the coming weeks.

The goal, according to officials, is to save 100 million litres of water per day to aid “emergency work that must be carried out on the water distribution system” beneath Atwater Avenue.

• READ MORE: Residents in Montreal, surrounding cities asked to reduce water consumption this summer

In addition to Montreal, these cities and towns are included in the save-water measure: Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montreal East, Montreal West, Mount Royal and Westmount.

Make an impact

Sarah Dorner, a professor of civil, geological and mining engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, agrees that turning off the tap when brushing your teeth is an effective way to save water.

However, she points out that there are ways to make a permanent impact.

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“The bigger gains happen if you have a leak in your system, like you have a constant drip in a faucet or a toilet that’s constantly running because there’s a leak in it,” said Dorner. “If you fix those problems, that’s not just a temporary fix. That can actually change things over a longer time period. If anyone has leaks in their home, fix them.”

Dorner admits that one of the biggest challenges right now is that Montreal is asking residents to reduce consumption during the summer.

“If we have a long, hot, dry period, that’s really when the water demand spikes because that’s when people use it not only for regular uses, but for cooling off and their plants,” she said.

• READ MORE: Water management to cost Montreal billions as city seeks public’s input

Here are a few ways you can help save water:

• Take shorter showers (ideally less than eight minutes);
• Avoid large water usage between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., as well as between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.;
• Turn the tap off in between uses (such as while brushing teeth or washing dishes);
• Run the dishwasher only when full;
• Wash dishes in a filled sink rather than under running water;
• Do laundry only with a full load;
• Limit outdoor watering;
• Collect rainwater in a barrel and reuse it;
• Don’t wash your car, or do so with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose;
• Consider drought-resistant outdoor plants;
• Use a pool cover to reduce evaporation.

Depending on how the situation evolves, the City of Montreal states that additional measures may be needed, including a watering ban.