Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
Search Quebec.ca
This content is intended for the public covered by the exceptions of the Charter of the French language and its regulations. If you read on, you confirm that you fall within one of these exceptions.

Québec Water Conservation and Efficiency Program

Useful links

Implementation of the Québec Water Conservation and Efficiency Program is consistent with the powers vested in the minister. These powers are specified in section 31.101 of the Environment Quality Act, which was introduced by section 19 of the Act to Affirm the Collective Nature of Water Resources and Provide for Increased Water Resource Protection.

It aims to ensure sustainable use of water resources throughout Québec and preserve the ecosystems that are dependant on them. To be sustainable, water withdrawals must not negatively affect ecosystems or conflict with other uses of water.

The Program enables the Government of Québec to meet one of the commitments it made as part of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. This agreement between Québec, Ontario and eight U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – provides that each of the signatory provinces and states will implement a water conservation and efficiency program to improve the quantitative aspect of water management in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin.

The Program provides for implementing a number of measures to conserve water, use it efficiently and reduce waste in several sectors of activity in Québec.

  1. Definitions
  2. Program directions
  3. Territory covered
  4. Sectors of activity covered
  5. Departments involved

1. Definitions

The following definitions are to be taken into account in conjunction with the Program:

  • Conservation: Taking action to preserve the long-term quantity of water resources and, by extension, their quality.
  • Efficient use: Striving to accomplish tasks with a minimal amount of water by reducing losses and waste or by using processes, technologies or ways of doing things that require less water and that are environmentally friendly and economically feasible.

2. Program directions

3. Territory covered

The Program applies to all of Québec.

4. Sectors of activity covered

  • Public water supply
  • Self-supply commercial and institutional
  • Self-supply irrigation
  • Self-supply livestock
  • Self-supply industrial
  • Self supply thermoelectric power production
  • Off-stream hydroelectric power production
  • Other self-supply

5. Departments involved

   

Return to the top