Montreal has announced plans to close two small water filtration plants in Lachine and Dorval. The closures are a part of $235 million plan that will attempt to improve water quality and ensure water security while cutting costs.
The planned project has a timeline of 10 years, and the removal of these two filtration plants will leave the city with four facilities to meet the supply for 65,000 residents and businesses that the plants currently provide for.
While the plants in Lachine and Dorval will be shutting down, the funds will be put towards significant upgrades at the remaining plants in order to ensure the water quality and security of the area’s water moving into the future. Beyond the water main additions made, the funding will also be used to increase the capacity of the water network.
According to executive committee member Sylvain Ouellet, the two plants only account for 5% of the area’s water, and the extra capacity available at other plants will be able to accommodate the extra water burden originating from the others.
The closure of the plants will also ensure the water security of the area, as an incident occurring at either of the two plants could potentially result in a shutdown of the city’s entire water supply. Upgrades to avoid such an occurrence were initially considered, but it was deemed a better long-term decision to shut them down entirely.