A new public portal to track drinking water usage

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

World Water Day: A Call to Unite Citizens Around More Responsible Water Usage Management

Quebec City (Que.), March 19, 2024 — With World Water Day just a few days away, several partners have gathered at the Quebec Environmental Technology Expo to highlight the importance of responsible water management in making Quebec a leader in the conservation of drinking water.

With this in mind, X-TELIA, in collaboration with AquaAction, is launching the Aqua Citizen Portal today—an innovative platform that enables citizens to measure, understand, and reduce their drinking water consumption. This tool aims to engage citizens in addressing a critical issue: excessive water consumption.

With a view to large-scale deployment in North-America, the Aqua Citizen Portal is a key tool for better monitoring water demand and optimizing resource management. This solution can help accelerate the adoption of a more integrated and modern approach to water management, benefiting communities.

Water is not an inexhaustible resource

Quebecers consume an average of 276 liters of water per person per day, which is well above the global average. To date, only 14% of water connections in Quebec are equipped with water meters, compared to 63% across Canada.

Although water may seem abundant in Quebec, it is not unlimited. Its collection, treatment, and distribution rely on an infrastructure of impressive scale: more than 100,000 km of pipes and infrastructure that must be continuously maintained, modernized, and repaired. Behind every liter used lies a real cost, far greater than the amount currently recovered.

This reality becomes even more striking when we realize that a leak as subtle as one drop per second can result in the waste of nearly 20,000 liters of water per year. The conclusion is clear: water is precious. Better assessing and understanding it is an essential step toward protecting it and ensuring the sustainability of our infrastructure.

Aqua Citizen Portal: Moving from Awareness to Action

The new platform offers real-time visualization, allowing residents to track their water usage accurately, and provides practical tools, including personalized recommendations for effectively reducing water consumption. Thanks to a smart comparison system, users can see how their usage compares to the municipal average, local goals, and Canadian and international benchmarks. According to a study published in the ASCE’s Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, the adoption of smart meters could reduce residential water consumption by up to 28.6%.

Its launch comes at a time when cities and their residents are being called upon to rethink their relationship with water—whether to better address climate change, adapt infrastructure to today’s realities, or encourage everyone to play a more active role in protecting this vital resource. Several municipalities across the province are already interested in this new tool, including the City of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, which has expressed interest in the platform, its potential for citizen engagement, and its ability to improve water consumption practices.

With this new portal, municipalities now have a strategic tool to better protect its most precious resource. By focusing on transparency, innovation, and citizen engagement, X-TELIA is laying the groundwork for more sustainable, resilient, and forward-looking water management.

Quotes

“What isn’t measured can’t be managed. The Aqua Citizen Portal finally provides citizens with clear, accessible, and useful data to help them understand their water consumption and take concrete action. It’s a tool that puts citizens at the heart of the solution.”

— Éric Bourbeau, President and CEO of X-TELIA

“We often forget everything that goes into bringing water to our homes. With the Aqua Citizen Portal, we can help people understand the true value of this resource and show that even a small action can really make a difference. When everyone sees the real impact of their water use, we become collectively more responsible and better equipped to protect our water. Every drop—and every action—counts.”

— Soula Chronopoulos, President of AquaAction

“Understanding and becoming aware of one’s consumption habits is the first step toward implementing behavioral changes in daily life. In this regard, the implementation of tools that support citizens in this process can only be beneficial as we work collectively toward reducing our overexploitation of water resources. It is in these solutions that we see the full potential of innovation to actively advance these environmental priorities for Quebec.”

— Mathieu Laneuville, President and CEO of Réseau Environnement

– 30 –

About X-TELIA

X-TELIA is a Quebec-based technology company specializing in municipal telemetry and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for water management. The company develops world-class infrastructure and data platforms that enable municipalities and organizations to monitor water usage in real time, quickly detect leaks, and improve the efficiency of their networks.

By connecting water meters, municipal infrastructure, and residents to modern digital tools, X-TELIA helps promote smarter and more sustainable water management.

For more information:
www.x-telia.com

About AquaAction 

At AquaAction, we train leaders to protect and restore our most vital resource: freshwater. We empower people—whether students, entrepreneurs, or community activists—to protect freshwater through innovation, advocacy, and conservation. By supporting entrepreneurship, advancing education, and fostering systemic change, we help communities build resilience and ensure access to clean water for future generations. 

Media contact:

Mélanie Fontaine

Senior Manager, Communications and Media

melanie.fontaine@aquaaction.org

‍