City’s drinking water system receives perfect score for 9th straight year

Cornwall Ontario – For the ninth straight year, the City of Cornwall’s drinking water system has scored a perfect inspection rating from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

The City’s drinking water system received a final inspection rating of 100 per cent following a focused inspection by Ministry staff in January of this year.

The inspection focused primarily on Water Purification Plant treatment processes, drinking water treatment and distribution operator training and certification, water quality monitoring, instrumentation and device calibration, data logging and reporting and evaluating conformance with ministry drinking water related policies and guidelines.

Throughout the year, Cornwall’s drinking water system goes through rigorous inspection. Several hundred water samples are tested on regularly scheduled intervals during that time.

“We continuously monitor our drinking water to ensure that residents and businesses have access to a safe source of water,” said Owen O’Keefe, Water Purification Plant Supervisor. “Residents can take pride in knowing the quality of their drinking water is second to none.”

Lake St. Lawrence is the primary source of Cornwall’s drinking water and is drawn from above the R.H. Saunders Power Generating Station on Second Street West. The City’s drinking water system consists of the Cornwall Water Purification Plant on Second Street West, a reservoir on Boundary Road, and an elevated water tower off of Tollgate Road.

Over 12 million cubic metres of fresh clean water is pumped annually through more than 277 kilometres of watermains.

“Our water system is a critical piece of infrastructure and we take great pride in having achieved a perfect inspection rating for nine consecutive years,” said Shawn O’Brien, Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Supervisor.
Drinking water quality is a key part of the Cornwall Blueprint, a comprehensive urban water strategy to deal with issues such as basement flooding mitigation, water conservation and environmental, water and infrastructure awareness. It serves to address two key pillars of the City’s Strategic Plan – Quality of Life and Sustainable and Efficient Services.