JOHN JANTAK
The 1019 Report
When it comes to water usage in St. Lazare as the warm weather takes hold, the town is not on red alert yet, but it has creeped into the orange zone.
This has sparked municipal officials to advise residents to conserve water.
And the warning comes with knowledge that if the summer-like weather continues, the demand for water will likely increase, according to Mayor Geneviève Lachance.
“This year we’re actually under the number compared to last year, so we’re not abnormal,” Lachance said in an interview. “Last year for the entire month of June we were in the excessive (red) zone.”
“We can pretty much foresee if the nice weather continues, we could be following the same pattern as last year,” she added.
According to information obtained from the town, water consumption hit 8,275 cubic metres last week, that was down slightly from the 8,362 cubic metres consumed during the week that ended May 27, but up from the 7,721 cubic metres used the week ending May 20.
These figures are below consumption recorded in the same period in 2023, when St. Lazare residents used 10,985 cubic metres during the week that ended June 5 and 9,081 cubic metres for the previous week, which ended May 29. Water usage for the week that end May 22, 2023, hit 8,301 cubic metres.
The town is using colourful billboards that have been posted at key intersections throughout the municipality to inform residents of water consumption levels in an effort to encourage vigilance and avoid wasting water.
“The signs are there to tell residents they’re using too much water than they should and they should reduce consumption,” Lachance said. “It’s not an indicator of the state of our wells or the level of water that we have left. It just indicates the level of usage,” said Lachance.
If residents do not reduce consumption, the municipality will consider implementing restrictions.
“But there are no red flags at this point,” Lachance said. “We’re above the objectives the government has set for us in terms of usage, but we still need to reduce consumption,” she added.
In 2022, the Quebec government demanded water meters be installed in all commercial, industrial and municipal buildings in St. Lazare after the municipality failed to reduce its water consumption in 2021 to meet provincially targets. The town had till 2025 to comply. So far no meters have been installed.
In 2021, residential water use in the municipality was 211 litres per person per day. That is 27 litres above the provincial target of 184 litres per person per day.
In 2020, water usage in St. Lazare was estimated at 224 litres per person per day, while in 2019, it was 260 litres.
Cutline:
The barometers of water usage posted across St. Lazare point to the increasing level of water consumption in the town.
Credit:
The 1019 Report