Yes. According to the local Medical Officer of Health and the MOE District Supervisor, the City's water is safe to drink.
Our water is as good as or better than the water in any other Ontario community.
Yes. North Bay's drinking water currently meets all water quality parameters set out by the Province of Ontario's Drinking Water Quality Objectives.
We have a series of contingency plans to deal with any immediate problems, plus our asset management and maintenance management system is used to prevent problems before they occur.
The health of our citizens is paramount. Although we have never had a serious problem, we do have contingency plans in place (in cooperation with the local Medical Officer of Health) to deal with health threats, as well as contingency plans for such things as pump failures, electrical interruptions, chemical spills, adverse bacterial results, fires, etc..
The testing of North Bay's drinking water is regulated by the Ministry of the Environment and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit. For some things it is tested continually; for others it is tested weekly, quarterly or annually. The testing frequencies and parameters tested are outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, Regulation 170. For example, chlorine levels and fluoride levels in the water supply system are monitored twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week while bacteriological testing of E-coli and coliform bacteria is done on a weekly basis at 20 sites throughout the City's distribution system.
Yes, we have nothing to hide. If requested, this information would be presented and explained in detail.
No. We recently built a new state of the art Water Treatment Plant which is operating as designed and is estimated to last the next 80 years. We are also continually looking into ways we can upgrade our storage capacity within the distribution system to ensure to the best of our ability that there never will be a problem.
The Drinking Water Systems Regulation 170/03 under the safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 was amended to include community lead testing in 2007. The purpose of this lead sampling is to expand water safety protection and reduce potential levels of lead in drinking water. Twice a year the City of North Bay tests water for lead concentrations from 80 private residences, eight commercial facilities and 16 fire hydrants in North Bay.
The City is looking specifically for volunteers who own older homes in the City as lead connections are more likely to be found in older homes (generally those built before the mid-1950s). If you would like to volunteer please contact North Bay Public Works at 705-474-4340.
For additional information about drinking water in Ontario and lead sampling, go to the ministry website.