Water and Wastewater

The Township of Southgate has completed a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) under Ontario's Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (March 2023, as amended) that was initiated to determine a cost effective sewage completion and treatment alternative for the Dundalk urban centre that will minimize environmental impacts and provide additional wastewater treatment capacity that provide for the economic, social and environmental well-being of its ratepayers now and in the future. The Notice of Study Completion and the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Environmental Study Report can be viewed at the below links. 

Notice of Study Completion

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment - Environmental Study Report

Municipal water and wastewater is billed bi-monthly and is based on usage. There are various methods in which to pay your Township of Southgate utility bill:

• In person or by mail to the Township office. If payment is sent through the mail, please allow sufficient mailing time to ensure that payment is received by the due date
• Cash, Cheque or Interac and cheques dated to the due date will be accepted and processed on the due date
• At the counter of all major financial institutions, or telephone or on-line banking. Please use your account number (8 digit number located at the top right of your utility bill) as your account number when making utility payments
• Pre-authorized payment withdrawals (either on a monthly basis or by installment due date)

The Township of Southgate By-law 2020-072 establishes water rates and sewage rates upon the owners or occupants of lands and premises connected to municipal water mains and sanitary sewers within the Township of Southgate. Please review the by-law in it's entirety for water and sewer rates. 

Water bills are maintained under the name of the property owner. If you are landlord, and wish to have your tenant(s) added to your billing account, please contact lgibbons@southgate.ca. 

If you have any questions about your bill, please contact Lisa Gibbons, lgibbons@southgate.ca in the Finance Department.

Southgate is pleased to offer residents and homeowners the convenience of receiving their utility bill via email. This will allow you to view, print, or save a copy of the invoice.  If you would like to enroll in this service, please complete the form below and forward to lgibbons@southgate.ca, or contact our office.

https://Forms.Southgate.ca/E-Billing-Enrolment-Form

All residents and businesses within the Town of Dundalk are equipped with water meters. Bi-monthly billing is sent out based on a flat fee as well as consumption. Always be sure to check for leaks in your home or business. 

The table below illustrates how a continuous leak, such as a running tap (sizes indicated) at 60 pounds per square inch over a three month (90 day) period, would waste water in the amounts shown. You may not think that 1/4" to 1/16” leak is significant; however this may change when you look at the total daily cost of this leak.

How to read your Water Metre

E-Coder Dial Face and Icons

DWQMS - Operational Plan

The Township of Southgate has established a Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control Program to help ensure the supply of safe, clean drinking water to its users. For further information on the program please view the following: 

Backflow Prevention Program Information

Instructions for Backflow Prevention

Excerpt from Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s 2008-09 Annual Report - Ministry of The Environment:

If a test of your tap water produces a brown substance is it safe to drink? Truth is, such tests are absolutely meaningless in terms of assessing water safety. Unfortunately, some door-to-door salespersons have been causing unnecessary concern as a way of luring Ontarians, especially seniors, into buying costly reverse osmosis treatment units.

How do the tests work? First, an electric current is used to activate naturally occurring minerals and make the water turn brown. Then, the treatment removes the minerals from the tap water, making the brown colour disappear. The test does not and cannot identify contamination that could cause illness.

“In Ontario, only fully accredited laboratories licensed to perform drinking water testing – not home-based testers – are authorized to perform health-based tests on drinking water,” said John Stager, Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector. “Our stringent standards for these labs make the province’s municipal tap water among the best protected in the world. Ontarians can have confidence that their tap water is safe to drink.”

Stager further recommends: “If you have been approached by someone offering to test your drinking water, I advise you to immediately contact your municipality, or your local health unit. They can answer any questions you may have. If a salesperson claims that your drinking water is unsafe or claims to be testing the safety of your drinking water, please contact the Ministry of the Environment immediately and we will follow up.”

To contact the Ministry of the Environment, call the Public Information Centre toll free at 1-800-565-4923, or 416-325-4000 in Toronto. If fraud is suspected, you may also contact your local police force or the Ministry of Consumer Services at 416-326-8800 in Toronto or 1-800-889-9768 toll-free.

For more information on Door to Door Water Testing contact the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services 

If you are a resident of Southgate that has a private well, please review the Private Well Water Manual provided by Grey Bruce Public Health. Water testing bottles provided by Grey Bruce Public Health are available to be picked up at the Township Office for private well owners to check if their water is safe. Please check the Grey Bruce Public Health website for further information. 

Below you will see the past year's annual water and wastewater report. If you have any questions or for copies or previous years reports, please contact the Public Works Department. 

2023 Annual Water Report
2023 Annual Wastewater Report

Source Water Protection - Fast Facts 

Source Water Protection - General Information

The 2020 Dundalk Drinking Water Financial Plan #110-301 can be viewed at below link:

2020 Dundalk Drinking Water Financial Plan

To view Grey Bruce Public Health sodium fact sheet, please use this link.

Bulk Water Station

Please be advised that due to technical difficulties, the Bulk Water Station is closed until further notice.