Taylor Clark

LJI Reporter

Despite the issue worsening in certain sectors, the Ville de Gatineau has reduced by 18 per cent of the pipes contributing to the coloured water plaguing the city. Elected officials were looped into the status of resolving the issue at the Comité plénier on May 21.

Although the City’s drinking water meets the applicable standards of the Ministry of the Environment, residents in all sectors have at one point been met with yellow to red coloured water from its taps over the years. At the core of the issue was the corrosion of the cast iron pipes in the drinking water distribution network.

The coloured water has often been associated with old neighbourhoods but even more recent sectors without cast iron pipes can be affected by the circulation of water. Its presence fluctuates depending on the season, allowing the coloured water to make regular, periodic, or occasional appearances in different sectors.

While interventions have been underway to attempt to target locations with a regular presence, the situation has continued to evolve.

A 2017-2028 intervention program was adopted to reduce the impact or eliminate the problem in sectors with a high frequency. According to mapping carried out in 2017, approximately 75 kilometres of pipe network was associated with the presence of coloured water, representing 6 per cent of Gatineau’s overall network. Six years later, new mapping identified a considerable reduction in pipes affected by a regular presence. An additional $8.78 million was granted by council during the study of the 2024 budget to continue efforts.

Affected officials were informed about new programming to address the sectors with the highest frequencies at the final Comité plénier in May. Sections of Dorion, Deschênes, Arthur-Whelan, Jean-Paul-Poirier, and Saint-Médard streets along with Vendôme street were added to the list of pipes to be redone in 2028. Another 25 streets with regular presence would be addressed in 2028 followed by 43 other streets of lower priority.

Acting Gatineau mayor Daniel Champagne shared empathy for those not seeing repairs until 2028 but stressed that council was making the “difficult choices to correct the yellow water situation.”

“Since 2017, we have invested or plan to invest, through to 2028, a total of $65 million,” said Champagne. “I think it’s a good start. Of course, we need more but, unfortunately, there are limits to what we can do.”

Photo caption: Gatineau’s interim mayor Daniel Champagne tells journalists the City hopes to resolve the issue of coloured water to a large extent by 2028.

Photo credit: Screenshot from Mêlée de presse du 21 mai 2024 – Comité plénier