Where Saguenay water comes from

Saguenay drinking water starts as a mix of surface water and wells. The named sources on the utility record are Lac Kénogami (via Rivière Chicoutimi and Rivière aux Sables), Lac Kénogami sector lakes / intakes, Lac de l'Aqueduc (Saint-Honoré), Groundwater wells (La Baie sector). That is the water that eventually reaches kitchen taps after treatment, not a separate bottled brand.

Saguenay uses more than one treatment plant (Usine de filtration de Chicoutimi; Usine de filtration de Jonquière; Usine de filtration d'Arvida; Usine / système Saint-Honoré). Utilities often run plants in parallel so different neighbourhoods can be served, or so one plant can cover for another during maintenance. Usine de filtration de Chicoutimi: Major plant supplied via Rivière Chicoutimi from Lac Kénogami reservoir system. Usine de filtration de Jonquière: Rivière aux Sables intake; fully renovated 2016 with membrane filtration.

After treatment, water moves through pumps, storage, and underground mains to reach streets and buildings. City operates multiple filtration plants, wells, boosters, and reservoirs across former Chicoutimi, Jonquière, and La Baie networks. Lac Kénogami is the principal raw-water reservoir for ~100,000 residents via the Chicoutimi and aux Sables rivers; La Baie relies mainly on groundwater wells.

One detail that makes Saguenay water feel local: Kénogami outflow sharing between Chicoutimi and aux Sables rivers still reflects the historic Letellier judgment (roughly 2/3 vs 1/3). Lab grades for hardness, lead, and pH sit on the city water quality page; this overview is about the route the water travels.