Water Quality

Water quality

We manage and operate our drinking water systems to comply with Ontario's Drinking Water Quality Management Standard, to supply consumers with safe drinking water. We are committed and strive to fulfill all the legislation and regulations for drinking water quality. We also want to continually improve our Quality Management System.

The DWQMS requires that the Operational Plan for the Drinking Water Systems is made available for the public viewing at the principal office of the owner and/or on a website that is accessible to the public. If you would like to view the Operational Plan for Loyalist Township’s Drinking Water Systems, please request access from the Drinking Water Quality Management System representative.

We test our drinking water for many different substances at different times throughout the year, which include E. coli, total coliforms, general bacteria count, chlorine residual, trihalomethanes, pH, and a variety of organics and inorganics. Each spring we report on our drinking water systems for the prior year.

Reporting municipal water quality concerns guide cover The most common questions we get are about water taste, colour, and odour. We can usually help you solve these issues over the phone, but we can also visit your home if needed. We have created a water quality concerns guide to help customers understand why water taste, colour, and odour can change. If you have questions regarding municipal water quality in Loyalist Township, please contact the Utilities Division by emailing the Administrative Assistant or calling 613-386-7351, ext. 103#.

Watermain and hydrant flushing

During the warmer months of the year, our Utilities staff flush all the watermains in our water distribution system. Flushing the watermains helps get rid of sediment that builds up in the pipes, and it improves water quality.

When the sediment is stirred up in the pipes, you may notice that the water in your taps looks slightly yellow or brown. If that happens, please turn on your cold water taps and let them run until the water turns clear. If it doesn't clear within approximately ten minutes, please call us at 613-386-7351, ext. 103#. The water is still safe to drink.