Québec agricultural water users face authorization and reporting rules

Illustrative stock image of agricultural irrigation by Lumin Osity on Unsplash. Cropped and resized; not a Québec inspection or reported site.

Québec has published a reminder for agricultural operations about when water withdrawals require authorization or annual reporting.

An environmental authorization is required when a withdrawal exceeds 75,000 litres in a day, even if that threshold is crossed only once in a year. In the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River basin, a separate declaration requirement can apply when withdrawals exceed 50,000 litres in a day.

The province says operators covered by the reporting rules must submit their 2026 withdrawal information by March 31, 2027. The requirements vary by location, volume and activity, so producers should use the province’s guidance and forms to determine which rules apply.

Source: Gouvernement du Québec, published November 10, 2026.