Rehabilitation work: Extending the lives of drinking water and sewer lines

Last updated November 20, 2024
Reading time: 1 min
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Find out about refurbishment techniques for water and sewer pipes that can extend their service life by several decades.

What technique is used?

Pipe lining is the technique used to repair old and damaged drinking water and sewer lines. During pipe lining, a liner is placed within the existing pipes and solidified to make it highly resistant for another 50 years.

What are the advantages of the pipe lining technique (also known as sheathing)?

The city chose the pipe lining technique because it is less invasive, creates less impact on traffic and is suitable any time of year (sewer repair).

Why is water leaking from the temporary waterworks network?

During pipe lining, you may notice that water is leaking from a secondary pipe that is installed outdoors to ensure the supply of drinking water to nearby homes.

It’s not a leak. It ensures constant flow through the pipes so that we can:

  • Distribute water at a lower temperature, thereby slowing the rate of degradation of free chlorine in the water. Also, warmer water brings out the “plastic” tastes of the pipes, making consumption less pleasant.
  • Avoid stagnant water to prevent coliform proliferation.
  • Prevent pipes from freezing in cold weather.

Our specialists explain the steps involved

If sewer repair work is currently taking place on your street, be sure to watch the related video that refers to the letter you received at home.

Sewer pipe

Pipe lining generally takes place over short periods of several months.

Hakim Atek, engineer at the Service des infrastructures, explains more in this video (in French).

Water pipe (water main)

Refurbishing a water main takes about 6 to 10 weeks.

Basma Salamé, engineer at the Service des infrastructures, gives you the details in these pictures (in French).

Since 2010, around 300 km of water pipes and 500 km of sewage pipes have been rehabilitated. This is equivalent of the Montréal-Québec distance (280 km) and Montréal-Toronto distance (536 km). Annually, it is an average of 20 to 25 km of drinking water pipes and 40 to 45 km of sewage pipes that are rehabilitated.

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