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Bert Ward (right) gets a tour of Pierrefonds water filtration plant from foreman Stéphane Dumas. (Gazette file photo)
Pierrefonds water plant gets $54-million upgrade
Demand growing with development
JASON MAGDER
The Gazette
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bert Ward (right) gets a tour of Pierrefonds water filtration plant from foreman Stéphane Dumas. (Gazette file photo)
The city of Montreal is spending an estimated $54 million to upgrade Pierrefonds’ water treatment plant.
The work will increase the capacity of the plant, which has had trouble meeting the demands of a growing population. A new reservoir will be built that will hold 9,000 cubic metres.
“There has been a significant population increase in the last three years or so, but the plant’s capacity hasn’t changed,” said Pierrefonds-Roxboro councillor Bert Ward.
The Pierrefonds plant also supplies water to Île Bizard, Ste. Geneviève, Roxboro and Dollard des Ormeaux. In the summer of 2005, which was very dry, the plant was operating at 97-per-cent capacity. Pierrefonds had asked residents and those of neighbouring municipalities to reduce consumption.
“We were scared like hell we would lose total water,” Ward said. “We had to put fans on the pump motors so they wouldn’t burn out.”
Ward said the plant will meet current demand, but capacity will have to be increased again in order to meet the demand of new residential developments planned for the western section of Pierrefonds.
Montreal executive committee member Sammy Forcillo explained the city’s investment in Pierrefonds’ water plant will help it meet new provincial standards. The city will also spend money to connect all the West Island municipalities, so that if there is a failure in one plant, other plants on the island can step in and supply water.
The city still must decide what it will do with the water plant in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, which was built in 1911 and is the oldest on the island. While the work was due to start in 2005, the city delayed it because there were unforeseen costs associated with renovating the plant. Now, the city must decide whether to renovate the plant or to connect Ste. Anne to the filtration plants in Pierrefonds or Pointe Claire. The city of Montreal’s experts are expected to make a recommendation to the executive committee this year.