Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Pincourt and Terrasse-Vaudreuil have imposed watering restrictions under the advisement of the Régie de l'eau de l'île Perrot (REIP).

The measures were introduced to change people's watering habits and conserve drinking water by reducing unnecessary usage.

"Like many cities, we need to examine our consumption habits to better manage our drinking water supply. Despite being surrounded by water, drinking water is not an unlimited resource," said Danie Deschênes, Mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot (NDIP). 

Watering in NDIP is allowed only on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 8 pm to 10 pm, in Pincourt on Mondays and Thursdays, from 8 pm to 10 pm, and in Terrasse-Vaudreuil on Mondays and Thursdays, from 7 pm to 9 pm.

Watering is not allowed on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in all three municipalities.

Data from the REIP indicates individual consumption varies from 282 to 463 litres of water per day which is higher than the provincial average of 268 litres per day.

Grace period

While the new regulations are already in place, each municipality has a grace period until the end of July to give residents time to comply with the new restrictions.  A one-time warning will be issued for a first offence.

Fines for noncompliance will be issued starting August 1 in all three municipalities or if a second offence occurs during the grace period. In NDIP, the first offence will cost $150 and each subsequent offence will be $300.

"Our aim isn't to issue tickets and impose fines. We just want residents to get used to the new rules and reduce their water consumption," said Pincourt Mayor Claude Comeau. 

Each municipality now has a water consumption dial on their respective websites that allows residents to monitor water consumption within the previous four hours.

"We're asking for everyone's cooperation to prevent the dial's needle from ending up too often in the high or excessive zones," said Michel Bourdeau, Mayor of Terrasse-Vaudreuil.

"By collectively reducing our water consumption, we can make sure we always have enough drinking water to properly serve our beautiful communities and especially for fire protection," Bourdeau added.