Do your part to conserve water
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Simple changes to everyday activities around the home can
make a big difference
Did you know the average family of four consumes
approximately 1,200 litres of water a day for basic household and personal
needs? That's the equivalent of 5,072 cups of coffee down the drain!
Today is World Water Day, an opportunity to
take action to tackle the global water crisis. With more people working from
home, it’s important to remember you can "do more at home" to help
conserve water. Everyday activities like turning on the tap, taking a long shower
and running a laundry machine can quickly become mindless chores that create a
lot of water waste.
More water is wasted in the bathroom than
in any other room in the home. Here are some water conservation actions that
will make a difference:
- Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth; you can save up to 16 litres of water each time.
- Take a five-minute shower instead of running a bath; you can save over 3,700 litres a month.
- Test your toilets for leaks at least once a year; a toilet leak can be silent.
The
City is committed to providing clean and safe drinking water to all residents
and businesses. A strict water quality testing process is used to ensure
industry standards set by the Province of Ontario are met. Each year, the City
takes about 4,000 water samples for testing. Continuous maintenance of the
City's water infrastructure ensures water continues to flow now and for
generations to come.
A lot goes on behind the scenes to make
sure every time you turn on your tap, fresh, clean water comes out. Over the
last year the City has worked to continue bringing safe and clean drinking
water to residents and businesses in Vaughan. Last year, the City made
improvements to its water system by installing 108 new sampling stations across
the city to allow for easier access to test water without having to enter
residents’ properties, completed 57 scheduled and 12 emergency valve repairs, and
maintained more than 9,500 fire hydrants.
At a recent Council meeting on Wednesday,
March 10, Vaughan Council approved the City’s Annual Drinking Water
System Report (PDF). The City’s drinking water system
achieved a 100 per cent inspection rating in the Ministry of the Environment,
Conservation and Parks’ Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s Report for the
2019-2020 fiscal year.
The City is responsible for managing
water distribution and wastewater collection services to nearly 335,000 people
and more than 19,000 businesses. Vaughan's drinking water comes from Lake
Ontario and is treated by the City of Toronto and Peel Region. York Region
supplies clean, treated water to the City of Vaughan.
For more
information on the City’s water, visit vaughan.ca/water.
To receive the City’s
latest COVID-19 updates as they happen, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter
at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.
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