Town of Orangeville urges focus on water conservation due to decreased capacity

The Town of Orangeville is urging businesses and residents to keep water conservation top of mind in the face of decreased water capacity.

In late June, Orangeville residents in the Rolling Hills area notified the Town that they were experiencing discoloured water in their homes. The Town conducted rigorous water testing in the impacted area, the results of which all indicated the water was safe for consumption, but had higher levels of iron and manganese. Well 10, which services much of the Rolling Hills neighbourhood and provides 11% of the Town’s overall water supply, was proactively removed from service. 

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the filtration system for Well 10, which was installed in 2007 to reduce the high levels of iron and manganese from the groundwater, was no longer filtering out iron and manganese as well as it should. Increased levels of these minerals in the water supply do not pose a risk to human health. According to Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards, there are no harmful levels of iron or manganese; filtering of these minerals, which cause a darker colour, is for aesthetic purposes only.

“I know that higher levels of iron and manganese in the water is visually unappealing, but I can assure everyone there is no risk to human health in this situation,” said Tim Kocialek, General Manager Infrastructure Services. “Our water team is working diligently to remedy the situation through watermain flushing and the removal of Well 10 from service.”

Operators continue to flush watermains surrounding the area, which can result in additional discolouration as sedimentation is dislodged and flushed from pipe walls. Although it can take time before the discolouration ceases, residents in the area have anecdotally reported dramatic improvements in water colour.

The Town is currently evaluating the filters and considering a replacement filtration media; however, the process may take up to a year to complete during which time Well 10 will remain out of service.

“This situation has presented the Town with an opportunity to review options to modernize the filtration media with a better option than what was originally available in 2007,” added Kocialek. “As we work to implement this improvement, we urge everyone to conserve water whenever possible.”

The Town’s Lawn Watering By-Law allows residents to water gardens and lawns from 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. and from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. based on their house number; those in even house numbers to water on even-numbered days and those in odd house numbers to water on odd-numbered days.

To learn more about water conservation best practices for your home, outdoors, or business, visit orangeville.ca/conservewater.