Drinking Water

Discover how Norfolk County ensures safe and high-quality drinking water through advanced treatment processes and rigorous quality monitoring.

Report a water quality issue

If you are concerned about water quality, call ServiceNorfolk at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK, extension 0, or 1-877-298-5888 outside regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Water quality concerns

Yellow or Rust Coloured Water

Water main repairs, construction and other maintenance work in an area can cause some rust and scale products, which normally adhere to the inside of the water main, to break away. Operating fire hydrants can also cause this. The discoloured water is safe to drink, but the water may appear dirty or may stain your laundry.

If your water is yellow or rusty coloured, run your cold water tap for 5-10 minutes, or until the water clears. If the water does not run clean, locate a tap before any internal treatment equipment such as water softeners or filters. Run the tap and see if there is coloured water present. If the water is clear before the internal treatment system, the issue is likely within the internal treatment system and will require the services of a licensed tradesperson.

If there is coloured water both before and after any internal treatment systems and it does not clear through flushing the lines, call ServiceNorfolk at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK.

Taste and smell of drinking water

Water naturally varies in taste and odour at different times of the year. It may smell or taste different, especially late in summer or early fall. This is usually the result of algae growth in the lake, partially caused by the change of the season. Different types of algae can cause water to taste and smell musty. Although the taste and odour can be unpleasant, it is not considered to be a public health problem.

Refrigerating the water helps eliminate the odour and adding lemon slices or utilizing a water pitcher filter may help remove any bad taste. Water may also taste stale if it has been sitting in the incoming pipes or internal plumbing for too long. Flushing out the pipes in your home by turning on all of your taps at the same time for a few minutes may get rid of the bad taste.

Cloudy Water

Sometimes when water comes from your tap, it may appear cloudy or milky but clears up within a few minutes.

If this is the case, take a clear glass and fill it with fresh tap water. If the water appears to clear in the bottom of the glass first, the cloudiness is due to air bubbles in the water. This is completely harmless.

If the water in the glass clears from the top down or does not clear up, contact ServiceNorfolk at 519-428-5870 to report a water quality concern.

Water hardness

Water hardness is calculated using the calcium and magnesium concentration in the water. It is expressed as mg/L as calcium carbonate or in Grains per gallon (imperial or US). One grain per imperial gallon equals 14.25 mg/L as calcium carbonate and one grain per US gallon equals 17.1 mg/L as calcium carbonate.

Below is a summary of the average hardness in each distribution system. There is variability within the distribution system, however, so be sure to test your water if you need an exact hardness value for your home.

Town	Hardness (mg/L)	Hardness (grains/US gallon)
Delhi and Courtland	231.9	13.56
Port Dover	134.3	7.86
Port Rowan	111.3	6.51
Simcoe	294.0	17.19
Waterford	216.0	12.63

Source Water Protection

Ontario's Clean Water Act protects water supplies from contamination by developing source protection plans that protect municipal wells and surface water intakes from specific activities that may threaten drinking water. Read more about Norfolk County's source water protection.

Water treatment

Norfolk County owns and operates five separate water treatment systems.

Delhi Drinking Water System

The Delhi Drinking Water System supplies drinking water to the communities of Delhi and Courtland. The system uses groundwater as its souce, with four wells located east of town on Windham West Quarter Line.

The raw water is first treated with ultraviolet (UV) light for primary disinfection. Fluoride, in the form of hydrofluosilicic acid, is then added to support dental health. To help prevent the release of colour from naturally occurring iron in the groundwater, sodium silicate is introduced. Finally, sodium hypochlorite is added as a disinfectant before the treated water is pumped into the distribution system..

The water is stored in the Delhi standpipe and the Courtland reservoir.

Port Dover Drinking Water System

The Port Dover Drinking Water System draws its source water from Lake Erie.

The treatment plant is located at 603 Nelson Street and is currently undergoing upgrades. Once complete, the updated system will include a low-lift pumping station that draws raw water from Lake Erie. Polyaluminum chloride is added to help particles in the water clump together, and during warmer seasons, sodium hypochlorite is added for zebra mussel control.

The water then flows through Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) trains, where microbubbles lift suspended solids to the surface for removal. This is followed by filtration through media filters built into the DAF units. The filtered water is then disinfected with ultraviolet (UV) light. Sodium hypochlorite is added prior to final distribution.

The treated water is stored in the Port Dover water tower and distributed to the community.

Port Rowan Drinking Water System

The Port Rowan Drinking Water System is a surface water system that provides drinking water to the communities of Port Rowan and St. Williams, as well as one private drinking water system.

Raw water from Lake Erie is pumped to the treatment plant located at 4 Archibald Drive in Port Rowan.

Carbon dioxide is added to lower the pH, optimizing conditions for coagulation. Polyaluminum chloride is then added to allow particles to bind and settle. The water is filtered through a combination of sand and anthracite media, followed by a secondary set of filters with granular activated carbon (GAC) to improve taste and odour.

Disinfection is achieved through ultraviolet (UV) light, and sodium hypochlorite is added before distribution.

The treated water is sent to the Port Rowan water tower and through a booster station in St. William’s to maintain adequate pressure throughout the system.

Simcoe Drinking Water System

The Simcoe Drinking Water System consists of three facilities that treat and supply drinking water to the town of Simcoe.

The Cedar Street System, located at 396 Cedar Street, draws water from four wells and an infiltration gallery. The water is disinfected with ultraviolet (UV) light, then treated with sodium silicate is control iron, and fluoride is added. Sodium hypochlorite is used for final disinfection before water enters the distribution system.

The Chapel Street Well system, located at 260 Chapel Street, draws from a single well. Sodium hypochlorite and fluoride are added for disinfection before the water flows through a chlorine contact chamber and enters the distribution system.

The Northwest Filter Plant, located on the 14th Concession, uses two wells and includes additional treatment steps. Sodium permanganate, polyaluminum chloride, and sodium hypochlorite are added to remove iron and manganese. Water flows through ceramic media filters and is then treated with fluoride and additional sodium hypochlorite before being stored in the Northwest Reservoir and distributed to the community.

The treated water is stored in the Simcoe water tower and distributed to the community.

Waterford Drinking Water System

The Waterford Drinking Water System supplies drinking water to the community of Waterford. The facility is located at 373 Thompson Road and draws from two groundwater wells.

After entering the treatment plant, sodium permanganate, sodium hypochlorite and polyaluminum chloride are added to begin the process of removing iron and manganese. This water flows into a reaction chamber, allowing particles to settle out of solution. The partially treated water is then filtered through ceramic media filters, and final disinfection is completed with the addition of sodium hypochlorite.

The treated water is pumped to the distribution system and stored in the Waterford standpipe.

Water Distribution System

Treated water is pumped through the central water distribution system to residential homes and businesses in:

Simcoe
Delhi and Courtland
Port Dover
Port Rowan and St. Williams
Waterford

Norfolk's water distribution system includes approximately:

303,912 metres of water mains
1,460 fire hydrants
2,974 water valves
15,183 water meters

Water distribution system maintenance

Through preventative maintenance, Norfolk takes a proactive approach to maintaining our water distribution system to address issues before they cause a major problem or breakdown, which can result in significant cost savings.

Many preventative maintenance programs use GIS technology to track progress and report problems. Some of the key programs that distribution crews are involved with include:

Watermain flushing: Hydrants are flowed in a controlled manner and in one direction to help remove sediment that collects in the water mains.
Hydrant maintenance: Conducted year-round, including frost checks during the year's colder months.
Exercising valves: Valves installed all over the water distribution system are exercised to ensure functionality and identify deficiencies.

Drinking Water Quality Management

As required by the Drinking Water Quality Management System, Norfolk County Council and Mayor, as the designated owners, endorsed the Operational Plan and the Quality Management System Policy by signing the Commitment and Endorsement statement, which is one of the elements of the Operational Plan, on July 25, 2011.

Norfolk's Drinking Water Quality Management System

As a result of the Walkerton Inquiry and the proclamation of section 33 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Ministry of the Environment requires that all municipal residential drinking water systems operating authorities be accredited through the new Municipal Drinking Water Licensing Program.

The requirements for issuance of a license are:

A drinking water works permit (replacing a Certificate of Approval)
A permit to take water (currently in place)
An approved Operational plan
An accredited operating authority
An approved Financial plan (submitted 6 months after license is obtained)

To become an accredited Operator, Norfolk County’s Public Works and Environmental Services Department was required to submit applications for Drinking Water Works Permits, Licenses, and Operational Plans for each of the five municipal drinking water systems operated by the County by May 1, 2009.

The Ministry of the Environment reviewed and accredited the operational plans by a third-party accreditation body, the Canadian General Standards Board. A Certificate of Accreditation was issued on February 17, 2010.

The accreditation was based on the operating authority's quality management system, which meets the drinking water quality management standard requirements. The Operational Plans describe how the requirements of the Quality Management Standard are achieved.

The accreditation body reviewed the submitted operational plans and performed system audits. It will also perform on-site verification audits to verify conformance to the drinking water quality management system.

A Quality Management System can be defined as the policy and associated organizational structures, procedures, responsibilities and evaluation measures that ensure the capability of delivering a product to specific standards. Modern industry use of Quality Management Systems has steadily increased over the last 30 years since the development of the first ISO standard in 1986.

Whether implemented voluntarily or as a requirement of suppliers to large manufacturers, Quality Management Systems have repeatedly proven beneficial in terms of accountability, quality control, efficiency and productivity.

The purpose of the quality management approach in drinking water is to protect public health by achieving consistent good practices in the management and operation of a water system.

The Drinking Water Quality Management System approach emphasizes the importance of:

A proactive or preventative approach rather than reactive management strategies to identify and manage risks to public health
The establishment and documentation of management procedures
Conformance to these procedures
Continuous improvement of the quality management system

Private wells and cisterns

Many rural residents rely on private wells and cisterns for their drinking water. Learn more about water testing.

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