Les Rivières Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Les Rivières (a central borough of Ville de Québec in the plateau area between the old city and the northern suburbs) receives its drinking water through Ville de Québec, drawing from the St. Lawrence River via the Charlesbourg-Est water treatment plant — the principal treatment facility serving Québec City's central and northern boroughs. Water is treated with coagulation, sedimentation, ozonation, granular activated carbon filtration, and chlorination, fully meeting the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). Hardness measures 81.5 mg/L (4.8 gpg) — classified as moderately hard by Health Canada, consistent with Québec City's standard distribution chemistry.

Les Rivières is named for the several small rivers crossing the plateau north of the old city — including tributaries of the Rivière Saint-Charles — which collect runoff from both Precambrian Shield terrain to the north (Laurentian foothills) and Ordovician limestone plain to the west and south. Supply from the Charlesbourg-Est plant delivers consistently moderate hardness throughout the central Québec City boroughs, where the blending of St. Lawrence mainstream and Shield tributary flows produces the characteristic 79–82 mg/L range measured throughout this distribution zone.

At 81.5 mg/L, Les Rivières residents experience only moderate scale deposits in kettles and on tap aerators — descaling every two to three months is adequate. Hot water tanks operate reliably at this hardness without dedicated scale treatment. Ville de Québec produces annual water quality reports for all boroughs in compliance with provincial Ministère de l'Environnement requirements, and provides Health Canada-compliant guidance on lead management for residents in older properties throughout the Les Rivières district.