An indispensable and valuable resource, water must be managed responsibly. Learn tips and tricks for reducing your daily water consumption and for recovering rainwater!
Quality of drinking water: annual report
Read the latest annual report (2022) on the quality of drinking water in TMR, as produced by the Division de l'expertise technique de l'agglomération de Montréal.
Saving water: small actions that make a big difference
Quebecers consume an average of 364 litres of water a day.
| Activity | Average water consumption |
| Flushing the toilet | 20 to 28 litres |
| Taking a bath | 135 to 150 litres |
| Taking a shower | 10 to 15 litres/minute |
| Washing clothes | 120 to 160 litres/minute |
| Preparing meals | 10 to 15 litres/minute |
| Using a dishwasher | 50 to 100 litres |
| Washing the dishes by hand | 25 to 40 litres |
Using less water also enables you to lower your energy consumption. All that’s required is to make a few changes in your daily habits and pay special attention to your faucets.
- Turn faucets off tightly so they don’t drip.
- Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth, doing the dishes or washing your car.
- Use a volume reducer (a simple brick, for example) to decrease the amount of water in the toilet tank.
- Keep a container of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until it gets cold.
- Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full and use the minimum amount of water required.
- Use a broom to clean the sidewalk or alley.
- Take shorter showers: cutting a minute or two can save almost 2,500 litres of water a month.
- Install flow restrictors on your faucets.
Lawn watering: check the permitted times
From May 1 to October 1, between 6:00 and 8:00 and between 18:00 and 22:00, manual watering on even-numbered calendar days for addresses with an even civic number and on odd-numbered days for addresses with an odd civic number.
Automatic sprinkler system: from 3:00 to 6:00 on the same days, based on the street number.
Recover rainwater for watering
Rather than using drinking water, purchase a recycled tank for harvesting rainwater for use in watering your lawn and flowerbeds.
Each year the Town sells a limited quantity of rainwater tanks at a special price. The 2022 supply has already been sold out.
Eligibility criteria
- Live in or own a Town property of one of the following types: single-family dwelling, duplex, triplex
- Have gutters on your house, garage or shed
- Install the tank on your property, either behind or alongside the building
- Comply with all applicable Town by-laws.
Metered water consumption billing
Following the By-law No. 1419, all water provided by the Town to establishments located on its territory will be measured by meters. Here is the detail of meter readings:
| Serial No.: 9999999 | Diameter: ½ inch |
| Current reading: 15-06-11 | 153,530 |
| Previous reading: 15-06-10 | 79,450 |
| Total consumption: | 74,080 |
| Minimum consumption: | 45,500 |
| Consumption used: | 74,080 |
Water consumption: 74,080 X $2.40 /1,000 gallons = $177.79 + $20 system fee.
Taxation period
For the residential sector (sector 1), the billing period is usually from July 1 to June 30, covering water consumption over a full one (1) year period, although section 66 of our Water Supply By-law No. 1419 allows for variations. The bill will be produced during fall in one single operation.
For the commercial and industrial sectors (sector 2), water consumption fees and system fees are billed twice a year hence covering the periods of January 1 through June 30 and July 1 to December 31.
Terms of payment
Electronic method
You can pay your tax bill and your water bill electronically by signing up for Internet banking services offered by most financial institutions.
To make your payment over the Internet, you must select the proper account payable, as the Town of Mount Royal has two separate accounts for payment of its property tax and of its water bills. Each account payable is clearly identified as such.
If you encounter any problems, please contact your financial institution’s Customer Service Department.
| Financial Institution | Property Tax | Water Bills |
| National Bank | Yes | Yes |
| Desjardins Movement | Yes | Yes |
| BMO Bank of Montreal | Yes | Yes |
| Scotiabank | Yes | Yes |
| RBC Royal Bank | Yes | |
| CIBC | Yes | |
| TD Canada Trust | Yes | Yes |
| Laurentian Bank | ||
| HSBC Bank Canada | Yes | |
| Credit Union |
Discussions are underway to try to broaden electronic payment service to include additional financial institutions.
Traditional method
By mail, please enclose the payment stub with your cheque. Otherwise, you can pay in cash, by cheque made out to the Town of Mount Royal or by debit card at the Town Hall service counter, 90 Roosevelt Avenue, Mount Royal, QC H3R 1Z5. Please note that you cannot use a credit card to make your payment.
All cheques must be written on a paper base provided by a Canadian or foreign financial institution, or obtained from a business specializing in cheque-printing. Furthermore, it must be drawn against an account at a branch operating in Canada.
If you use the mail, please allow for sufficient delivery time because the payment will be credited to your account on the day of its receipt by the Town of Mount Royal, or on the date shown on the cheque if it is post-dated. Please note that any payment received after the deadline will result in interest charges and a penalty.
You have excess water consumption?
Excess water consumption is often caused by leaks. The following tips will help you detect them.
Leak coming from the flushing system
To see if the toilet tank is leaking, drop two or three drops of food colouring into it. If the water in the bowl becomes coloured after a few moments, there’s a leak.
Leaks coming from a flushing system can be attributed to one of the following problems:
- the valve seat sealing device, between the bowl and the tank, is defective;
- the water is escaping through overflow;
- the float always stays at the bottom of the tank.
Leaks coming from a faucet
These leaks are often due to wear of the faucet valve. All you have to do is replace a washer. A dripping faucet means a loss of up to 120 litres per day. A leaky flushing system can mean up to 600 litres per day.
How can you detect a leak?
Before you go to bed, read your meter. Make sure that you don’t turn on the faucet or use any water overnight. Read the meter again when you wake up. If you see a difference, it’s probably because of a leak. If there is no leak, we would invite you to evaluate your consumption habits.