Water Capacity

Water capacity constraint confirmed – No impact to water quality

Providing a safe, sustainable water supply to our community is the Region of Waterloo’s top priority.  

Through ongoing work and updates to the Water Supply Strategy (a long-term plan that guides our community’s water supply), a water capacity constraint has been confirmed within the Mannheim Service Area. This service area supplies water to Kitchener, Waterloo and parts of Cambridge, Wilmot and Woolwich.  

This constraint refers solely to water quantity and does not have any impact on drinking water quality. There is no need to change current water consumption habits.  

The Region is working with its partners to expedite timelines for new infrastructure and repair aging assets while ensuring a secure, sustainable water supply now and for the future. 

For more information, view the January 13th Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee report. 

This webpage will continue to be updated to provide you with the latest information. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Waterloo Region water safe to drink? 

Yes. Waterloo Region water is perfectly safe to drink. Water quality is highly regulated, and Waterloo Region’s water is of high quality. This is strictly a water supply constraint where demand outweighs available capacity. Visit our water quality webpage to learn more about how the Region monitors drinking water and ensures it is safe. 
Are residents being asked to conserve water? 
No, there is no immediate impact to residents at this time and no need to change current water consumption habits.  
What areas of the community are affected?

Kitchener, Waterloo and parts of Cambridge, Wilmot and Woolwich are affected. These are the areas supplied by the Mannheim Service Area. View a larger version of the map.

Map of areas supplied by the Mannheim Service Area
How was this constraint identified? 
The constraint was identified through ongoing work and the update to the Water Supply Strategy.  
What led to this constraint? 

While water monitoring reports have consistently shown significant capacity overall, Region staff identified a capacity constraint in the Manheim Service Area due to a combination of factors, including: aging infrastructure, lower levels of water in the system, and the pressures of rapid growth.

A third-party review has verified staff technical findings and change in methodology. The findings will be shared at the Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee of Regional Council on January 13. 
What steps are being taken right now? 

The Region revised how it assesses existing water supply capacity to better suit our groundwater-based system. This revised methodology will accurately assess capacity for future development in Waterloo Region. 

Steps have also been taken to work towards short and long-term solutions to the constraint. This includes expediting timelines for new infrastructure and repairing aging assets, while engaging all partners to ensure a secure, sustainable water supply now and for the future. 
 What is a sustainable water supply system?
A sustainable water supply system requires producing enough water to meet current demand and future growth, and having a capacity buffer for periodic repairs, maintenance and emergencies.  
 How do we assess capacity for future growth?

We previously assessed water capacity by using a methodology that looked at the Integrated Urban System (Mannheim and Middleton Service Areas) as a whole. This also looked at the maximum system capacity (the peak performance of a system) to determine the remaining water capacity in the system.

Moving forward, we will look at the capacity in the Mannheim and Middleton Service Areas individually, using both maximum system capacity and average sustainable capacity (the amount of water a system can reliably produce on an ongoing basis). It will also set a minimum operational resiliency target of 20 per cent supply capacity.  
 Why are we changing how we assess water capacity for future growth?
A combination of factors is impacting water supply capacity, including increasing frequency and duration of infrastructure shutdowns, a shift to increasing year-over-year water demand, plateauing of conservation efforts, and others. This revised methodology is better suited to a groundwater-based system and more accurately reflects the actual capacity available in the Region’s water system today. 
How does this impact growth today?

While this water constraint exists, the Region is unable to support approval of development applications or enter into any new agreements that add additional demand on the Mannheim Service Area water system.   

For those in the development industry looking to discuss existing and upcoming projects, please contact regionaldevelopment@regionofwaterloo.ca or 519-501-6619. 
Where can I find more information? 

This page will continue to be updated to provide the most up-to-date information to the community. 

For those in the development industry looking to discuss existing and upcoming projects, please contact regionaldevelopment@regionofwaterloo.ca or 519-501-6619.  

 

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