Université de Montréal Pure Water in the City Covering the Reservoirs on Mount Royal Par Susan M. Ross Faculté de l’aménagement Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maîtrise ès sciences appliquées (M.Sc.A.) en aménagement (option conservation de l’environnement bâti) Avril, 2002 © Susan M. Ross, 2002 Université de Montréal Faculté des études supérieures Ce mémoire intitulé : Pure Water in the City Covering the Reservoirs on Mount Royal Présenté par : Susan M. Ross A été évalué par un jury composé des personnes suivantes : ……………………………………………………….. président-rapporteur ……………………………………………………….. directeur de recherche ……………………………………………………….. codirecteur ……………………………………………………….. membre du jury RÉSUMÉ La question du pourquoi et du comment l’eau a disparue du paysage urbain est explorée dans cette étude des réservoirs à ciel ouvert du système d’approvisionnement en eau potable de la ville de Montréal. Une étude de cas de trois réservoirs, le McTavish (à ciel ouvert de 1856 à 1948), Côte-des-Neiges (de 1893 à 1938) et Vincent d’Indy (de 1915 à 1964), considère comment la forme et la fonction des réservoirs ont changé, alors qu’évoluaient les rapports entre facteurs environnementaux, moyens technologiques et préoccupations sociales dans la ville en croissance. Répondant aux avantages et défis de la topographie urbaine, ces réservoirs ont été construits sur les flancs du mont Royal. Le potentiel offert par ces réservoirs d’élargir le noyau de conservation de la montagne est exploré dans une reconsidération de leur situation dans la ceinture de sites institutionnels qui circonscrivent le cœur de ce principal paysage naturel et culturel de la ville. Un virage dans les développements de l’aqueduc, passant des questions quantitatives à des questions qualitatives, relié à la montée des perspectives de la santé publique et de l’environnement, était à l’origine du mouvement de couvrir les réservoirs. Toutefois, le coût élevé de la reconstruction des basins en boîtes de béton armé recouvert de pelouse et l’absence de règlements exigeant des toits sur les réservoirs, ont mené à des délais de plusieurs décennies. Par ailleurs, dans la ville en pleine expansion, l’augmentation de la capacité de stockage d’eau demeurait au moins aussi importante que la garantie de la qualité de l’eau. L’éthique d’efficacité qui en résulta est traduite dans les paysages des réservoirs transformés, pour lesquels les fonds et l’aménagement furent négligeables. Des conséquences imprévues mais cruciales de cette transformation sont examinées : la dissociation de l’approvisionnement d’eau de l’écosystème urbain; la perte de visibilité de l’aqueduc; la reconnaissance réduite de sa valeur collective; la responsabilité ambiguë de ces espaces ouverts et, comme conséquence, un manque d’entretien; la dissimulation de l’aqueduc et d’autres fonctions techniques dans le paysage de la montagne et le manque d’intégration des réservoirs dans les plans de conservation de la montagne. Mots clé: Réservoirs d’eau potable- Histoire- Conservation- Mont Royal- Paysage ii SUMMARY The questions of how and why water has disappeared in the urban landscape are explored in this study of the uncovered reservoirs of the Montreal water supply system that were destined to be covered. A case study of three reservoirs, the McTavish (open from 1856 to 1948), the Côte-des-Neiges (from 1893 to 1938), and the Vincent d’Indy (from 1915 to 1964), considers how the form and function of these reservoirs changed, as the relationship between environmental factors, technological means and social concerns evolved in the developing city. In response to advantages and challenges of the city’s topography, the reservoirs were built on the flanks of Mount Royal. The potential the reservoirs offer to expand the mountain’s conservation core is explored in a reconsideration of their situation within a belt of institutional properties that delimit the heart of this principal natural and cultural landscape of the city. A shift in the focus of water supply development from quantitative to qualitative concerns, related to the rise of both public health and environmental perspectives, was a principal incentive to covering water supply reservoirs. Nevertheless, the expense of rebuilding the basins as reinforced concrete boxes covered in earth and sod, and the lack of regulations requiring covers on all reservoirs, lead to the process being delayed for decades. Furthermore, the city was in full expansion throughout this period, so that the pressure to increase the capacity of water storage rivalled that of guaranteeing water quality. The resulting focus on efficiency is embodied in the landscapes of the transformed reservoirs, in which little funds or planning resources were invested. Certain unplanned but critical consequences of this transformation are examined: the disassociation of water supply from the urban ecosystem; the loss of visibility of the waterworks; the decreased recognition of their collective value; the confusion about responsibility for these open spaces and a related lack of upkeep; the concealment of water supply and other technological functions in the mountain landscape; and the lack of integration of the reservoir sites in plans for the mountain’s conservation. Key words: Water supply reservoirs-History-Conservation-Mount Royal- Landscape iii TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY/ RÉSUMÉ i TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER I The landscape of water supply 5 1.1 Literature review 5 1.1.1 The landscape perspective in histories of urban water supply 5 1.1.2 The evolving place of water in the industrialised city 10 1.1.3 The waterworks as a heritage and planning issue 12 1.2 Environmental, technological and social perspectives 15 1.2.1 The evolving roles of natural sources and topography in water supply 15 Sources and topography in the Montreal waterworks 18 1.2.2 Water supply in relation to technological developments 21 Technological developments in the Montreal waterworks 24 1.2.3 Water supply in relation to social ideals and power 26 Social ideals and power in the Montreal waterworks 29 1.3 Three Mount Royal reservoirs: the evolution of a water supply landscape 31 1.4 Research questions, hypothesis and methodology 33 Background work for further heritage studies on the waterworks 35 CHAPTER II The evolution of the Mount Royal reservoirs 38 2.1 The situation of the reservoirs within the water supply system, the mountain landscape and the city as a whole 38 2.1.1 The form of the reservoirs in the urban landscape 44 How the form of the reservoirs has evolved 44 2.1.2 The evolution of the function(s) of the reservoirs 48 iv 2.2 The history of the evolving form and function of the Mount Royal reservoirs 50 2.2.1 The construction of open basin reservoirs from 1848 to 1915 53 A. The Montreal Water Works Reservoirs: 53 Coteau-Baron, McTavish & High-Level B. The Montreal Water and Power Reservoirs: 64 Côte-des-Neiges and Outremont 2.2.2 A turning point: water purification and filtration 68 2.2.3 The covering of the reservoirs from 1938 to 1964 71 Table 2.I Summary of information about the three reservoirs 79 CHAPTER III Why the reservoirs were covered 80 3.1 Covered reservoirs in Constantinople and Paris- but not in North America 82 3.2 Reasons given for covering the Montreal reservoirs 85 3.3 An analysis of the reasons, factors and means for covering the reservoirs 93 Environmental factors 94 Technological means 96 Social concerns 98 Missing in the discussion: the role of the mountain 100 Table 3.I Summary of reasons for covering the reservoirs 102 CHAPTER IV Materials, costs & delays the creation of a controlled landscape for pure water 104 4.1 The complete isolation of treated water from the environment 105 4.2 A burial in modern materials: reinforced concrete boxes and grass fields 105 4.3 Delays and the lack of standards for existing reservoirs 109 4.4 The bottom line of costs and the vagueness of quantities 111 CHAPTER V The unplanned consequences of covering of reservoirs 113 5.1 The loss of water in the urban landscape 113 5.2 Less visibility for the waterworks themselves 120 Tangled responsibilities 124 5.3 The unresolved presence of the waterworks in the mountain landscape 129 5.4 The potential of the reservoir sites in plans for the mountain’s conservation: making technology a more transparent, congruent part of the landscape. 134 CONCLUSION 137 v BIBLIOGRAPHY 147 APPENDIX 1 Illustrations I APPENDIX 2 Selection of quotations concerning the reasons for covering water reservoirs XXV APPENDIX 3 The reconstruction of the McTavish reservoir XXXI vi LIST OF TABLES Table 2.I Summary of facts about the three reservoirs in this study 79 Table 3.I Summary of reasons for covering the reservoirs 102 vii LIST OF FIGURES Sources are indicated under the title within the text. All others are by the author. Figure 1.1 Elevated reservoir (steel tank), 1938 15 Figure 1.2 Surface reservoir (masonry lined basin), New York, 1842 16 Figure 1.3 Diagram of surface reservoir used as an elevated reservoir, 1999 16 Figure 1.4 Diagram of a looped and branching water supply network, 1999 17 Figure 1.5 Longitudinal section of the aqueduct pumping main and tail race, 1854 19 Figure 1.6 The pump and the well, two traditional water supply points, 1936 26 Figure 1.7 The McTavish reservoir (uncovered), 1866 30 Figure 1.8 The McTavish reservoir (covered), 2001 30 Figure 2.1 Section of Montreal water supply system, 1999 39 Figure 2.2 Plan of distribution area(s) of Montreal water supply system, 1999 39 Figure 2.3 Vincent d’Indy reservoir on Mount Royal’s northern flanks, 1999 43 Figure 2.4 Zoning map Ville-Marie District, detail, 1990 43 Figure 2.5 Côte-des-Neiges reservoir from Côte-des-Neiges Road, 2001 45 Figure 2.6 Vincent d’Indy reservoir, 1999 45 Figure 2.7 McTavish reservoir, 2000 45 Figure 2.8 McTavish reservoir site from Dr.