The City of Quebec was not yet able to say Thursday what caused the water leak which affected one of the main pipes in its network. In the meantime, 175,000 people must continue to limit their water consumption.
“We continue to work to investigate,” declared Mayor Bruno Marchand during a press scrum on Thursday. “We don’t have all the answers. »
On Tuesday, the City announced that due to a major leak, up to 175,000 Quebec residents risked having “cloudy” drinking water in the coming days. The population of the affected sector, which corresponds to a large part of the west and center of the city, was invited to save water and have a 48-hour reserve.
The latter is one of three main pipelines connecting the treatment plant to residents. It is located in the Lebourgneuf sector and is 70 years old. However, its lifespan was estimated at 100 years, so there was nothing to suggest that it would break, the mayor also specified.
Bruno Marchand uses the expression “exceptional situation” to describe the problem. The network as a whole is therefore generally in good condition, he assures. “We are among the cities that [ont] best maintained [leurs] infrastructure in Quebec. […] There is no need to be worried. »
Calls for parsimonious use have also borne fruit, he said. Consumption has thus been reduced by 20% since the announcement. “It helps us, thank you for continuing,” he said, emphasizing that these efforts could limit the risk of cloudy water in residences.
Moreover, so far, no citizen has reported having had cloudy water, the mayor said. But the City assures that even cloudy, the water is drinkable. However, it recommends that people do not consume it. “There is no imminent risk. However, we recommend that people do not drink it. […] If it happened [que des gens en consomment], there is no reason to panic. »
The city still plans to complete work on the pipeline by July 5.
