Making the ‘invisible visible’ on World Water Day

March 22, 2022 9:00 a.m.
​The City’s underground system keeps Vaughan’s water fresh and clean


Ever wonder where Vaughan’s water comes from? Today’s the perfect opportunity to find out – it’s World Water Day. This year’s theme is ‘groundwater: making the invisible visible.’

A lot goes on behind the scenes to make sure every time you turn on your tap, fresh and clean water comes out. The infrastructure needed to support water distribution, stormwater management and wastewater treatment are often invisible because much of it is underground. Even so, water is a natural resource and its impact is visible everywhere – citizens rely on a complex network of pipes, pumps, equipment and people to safely deliver drinking water to taps and remove used wastewater from homes and businesses.

Here are some quick facts about the water distribution system in Vaughan and York Region:

  • Vaughan’s drinking water comes from Lake Ontario. It is treated by the City of Toronto and Region of Peel to meet Ontario’s drinking water quality standards. Then, York Region supplies clean, treated water to the City of Vaughan for distribution.
  • The total volume of water supplied from York Region to the City’s water distribution system from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021 was 43,285,428 cubic metres. This includes residential, industrial, commercial and institutional locations.
  • The City operates and maintains 1,150 kilometres of active watermains, 10,500 hydrants and 53,500 water valves.
  • The City’s water distribution system includes one booster station and one pressure elevating station.

Annual Water Quality Report

On Tuesday, March 1, the Annual Drinking Water System staff report was received at the Committee of the Whole (1) meeting; it will go to the Tuesday, March 22 Council meeting for ratification. Every municipal residential drinking water system is inspected at least once a year by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to assess compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002. The City of Vaughan received a 100 per cent inspection rating in the MECP’s 2020-2021 Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s Annual Report, and the City’s drinking water system’s Quality Management System was re-accredited by the MECP-approved accreditation body on June 21, 2021.

In order for the City’s water distribution and wastewater collection infrastructure to remain fiscally sustainable, the City maintains reserves to ensure staff can repair and replace infrastructure to continue servicing Vaughan residents and business owners. These charges are what residents see on their Alectra bill on behalf of the City of Vaughan. The $179.6-million Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Budgets fund programs and services to ensure the City can deliver clean and safe drinking water, collect wastewater effectively, manage stormwater to mitigate flooding and save for future water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needs. The approved increase for the combined water and wastewater rate in 2022 is $0.1551 per cubic metre, or 3.3 per cent. The increase for the 2022 stormwater charge is an average of 4.5 per cent.

The City of Vaughan is committed to protecting the environment and fostering a sustainable future while delivering Service Excellence, as outlined in the Council-approved 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.

For more information on the City’s water services, visit vaughan.ca/water.

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