Djeneba Dosso
LJI Reporter
As a demonstration of the province’s appreciation of water resource management, 42 municipal organizations were recognized by Réseau Environnement for their excellence in water management over the past year. The award ceremony took place in Quebec City on October 22 as part of the 46th edition of the Symposium on Water Management.
“Water is our blue gold in Quebec,” said Mathieu Laneuville, President and CEO of Réseau Environnement. “We are fortunate to be able to count on leaders who are taking action to better manage and protect it, like the 62 municipal organization members of Réseau Environnement’s water excellence programs. Like us, these municipalities strive for excellence for our planet and the health and safety of their communities.”
Réseau Environnement, the largest group of environmental specialists in Quebec, currently runs six water excellence programs whose certification is determined by a ranking from 1 to 3 stars. The organization that brings together specialists from public, private and academic sectors promotes the “best practices and innovation in environmental management and acts as a catalyst for innovative solutions for a green economy.”
This year, the City of Gatineau was awarded a total of three certifications for their work in two programs. The Drinking Water Excellence Program, or Treatment PEXEP-T ensures maximum protection against microbiological contamination. A total of 32 municipal organizations, made up of nearly five million Quebecers, are supplied with drinking water from PEXEP-T member plants. Both the Hull and Buckingham municipalities received 3 stars and a Phase 2 Certification for their efforts within the program. The entirety of Gatineau was awarded another 3 stars and Phase 2 Certification in the Wastewater Excellence Program, or (PEX-StaRRE-SM). This program aims to improve the quality of wastewater and sewage sludge from municipal treatment plants by optimizing operations and keeping a constant check on processes.
In addition to awarding municipalities, Laneuville used the symposium, which gathered 200 industry specialists, as an opportunity to address the underfunding of water services.
“Quebec is facing a $45 billion asset maintenance deficit for its water infrastructures. Nearly one-fifth of the entire network is considered to be in poor or very poor condition,” he said. “With the increasingly frequent and intense impacts of climate change, such as torrential rains and the floods we saw this summer, we don’t have the luxury of giving up and saying there’s nothing we can do about it. That would be to misunderstand the members of Réseau Environnement.”
Laneuville revealed that the association is launching a new project “aimed at finding sustainable solutions to adequately finance the water services” on which the Quebec population, both private and public, rely. The goal, he says, is to guarantee 100 per cent water quality, 100 per cent of the time, “everywhere in the province and for generations to come.’’
Réseau Environnement is set to present key recommendations in the coming months.