Water is supplied to the City of Vaughan from a number of sources. The majority of the drinking water is supplied by the City of Toronto. Toronto uses water from Lake Ontario which is treated for domestic consumption.

York Region purchases water from the City of Toronto and is the wholesale supplier to Vaughan. The City of Vaughan is the retail supplier of water to the  consumer. In 1999, the City of Vaughan used nearly 35 million cubic metres of water, supplied through this process.

The community of Kleinburg receives its drinking water from wells that are owned and operated by York Region. Some of the residents living in the rural areas of Vaughan rely on groundwater from private well systems.

Water Distribution and Treatment

York Region owns and operates large metering chambers, pumping stations, storage reservoirs and large diameter trunk watermains. With the exception of Kleinburg, the City of Vaughan’s distribution system is an extension of the City of Toronto system. Vaughan owns and operates pumping stations, watermains, fire hydrants and service connections to service the various pressure districts throughout the City.

Pumping stations are required to deliver water at an acceptable pressure range. Because the City is at an elevation of 120 to 220 metres above the Toronto based water treatment plants, water must be pumped up to Vaughan. If the water was to be pumped in one single lift all the way up to Vaughan, the water pressure would be unacceptably high near the low end of the system (in the treatment plant) and unacceptably low at the high end of the system (in Vaughan). Therefore, water is pumped up in stages of about 30 metres per lift by a series of pumping stations. This allows all water customers along the way to be served with water within an acceptable range of pressure. York Region owns two pumping stations within the City of Vaughan to assist with this operation.

York Region owns 7 reservoirs in the City. These reservoirs are required to provide stored water for three purposes:

• Additional supply required during short term high demand periods
• Fire fighting
• Emergency (watermain breaks, power failure)

The Kleinburg area receives its water from two York Region production wells, servicing approximately 2,500 residents. One of these wells is used for production and the other as a standby. The wells are about 77 metres in depth. In 1999, they produced 352,000 cubic metres of water. Water withdrawal from each of the wells is regulated by a “Permit to Take Water”, issued by the Ministry of the Environment. This permit allows for the development of water resources for beneficial purposes, while providing reasonable protection to existing water uses and water users.

The City of Toronto provides the treatment of water for all the drinking water sold to the Region of York, which in turn is sold to the southern municipalities in the region including Vaughan.

York Region provides the treatment of well water for Kleinburg. Water treatment at the Kleinburg wells include adding chlorine as a means of disinfection, and sequestering the iron. Following the treatment, the water enters the distribution system from one of two points: well #2, located on Windrush Road  and well #3, located on Whisper Lane. There is currently one storage tank servicing the community of Kleinburg on Highway #27. The Region collects samples from the points where treated water enters the distribution system.

The City of Vaughan’s Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining the watermain distribution system in Kleinburg.

Water Sampling Program

York Region staff collect samples from the four storage facilities and two pumping stations located in Vaughan. The samples are tested for microbiological analyses and chlorine residuals. 

To further ensure disinfection throughout the distribution network, the City of Vaughan’s Public Works Department also collects water samples for microbiological analyses and chlorine residuals. In accordance with the guidelines, 138 samples are taken per month. The number of samples will continue to increase as the population increases. These samples are taken at various locations throughout the system to ensure the water meets the environmental guidelines.