Quebec to get tough on water wastage
Quebec is starting to make noise about people and businesses using too much water, but has delayed any recourse till 2017. I think we’d all do well to minimize waste but I wonder when we’ll hear about the Quebec government (or, more likely, private businesses with cosy government connections) making profitable deals to sell some of our water to the U.S. or elsewhere.
TC 21:29 on 2011/03/29 Permalink
This US resident and aficionado of this blog, and the city it covers, has a question: is water use in Montrel metered, in the same way electricity or other utilities are? When my cousin moved to Ottawa, she was surprised she never got a water bill. Here in Boston, I am billed based on usage, which encourages conservation.
Stefan 12:44 on 2011/03/30 Permalink
it does not seem to be metered here in montreal in apartments. i don’t know about houses and businesses other than the corruption scandal that happended when water meters were proposed to be installed at businesses.
i guess it makes sense to meter it for businesses and houses but less so for apartments without green spaces (water meters + readings seem to be quite expensive). most of the squandering in private use occurs after all when washing cars, watering green spaces with plants that can not survive naturally in local climate, swimming pools …
there is enough water here in montreal. it is the treatment for drinking usage that is expensive. only ~0.1-0.2% of the distributed water (1500l in montreal/capita) is actually used as drinking water. montreal users pay 15c/day (or $50/year) for their water, which seems to cover only a fraction of the actual cost.
Kate 13:32 on 2011/03/30 Permalink
There’s no water metering in Montreal proper. The city’s attempt to install meters in industrial and commercial buildings a couple of years ago foundered on accusations of corruption. Till now, real estate taxes have paid for waterworks here, and some percentage of one’s rent presumably goes toward this. I don’t know the history of why Montreal doesn’t have water usage bills while many cities do.
Singlestar 20:39 on 2011/03/30 Permalink
Large users of water in their commercial and industrial operations do indeed have water meters. Not your corner store.
Stefan 07:57 on 2011/03/31 Permalink
i read that the coca-cola water-bottle plant is paying for the municipal water they bottle up. not that it is a significant fraction of the price of for what they sell it though …