Montreal and Water: An Environmental History

Montreal was born because it was located at the heart of an exceptional watershed. Its destiny has remained closely linked to the river, even though the city seemed to turn away from it when it pushed its suburbs toward the interior of the island. Montrealers have always demonstrated the same fascination with water, whether in their daily lives or in their leisure activities. More recently, this fascination has been compounded by a concern for water polluted by human and industrial activities.

Historian Michèle Dagenais here addresses water in its entirety and in its various forms, examining together the waterways that surround the island and the water that flows in the underground networks. Water is understood in its concrete and tangible dimensions, as a physical element that is transformed with the development of Montreal at the same time as it contributes to it. Water is also examined on the sociocultural level, as a
crucial component of the production and transformation of Montreal space.

The author examines the major developments that have affected water resources over the past two hundred years. In short, she tells us the story of Montreal's relationship with natural elements, first and foremost water.