Municipalities own — or have water supplied to them — through various types of drinking water systems.
The provincial government, through the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, regulates these systems to ensure water safety and quality.
This includes:
- registering all municipal drinking water systems
- licensing system owners/operators
- authorizing operators to run and maintain drinking water systems
- issuing drinking water works permits to modify, repair or extend drinking water systems
Every owner and operator of a drinking water system must ensure that:
- the system’s water meets Ontario’s Drinking Water Quality Standards
- anyone who operates or works on their system is properly trained and licensed
- drinking water tests are done by licensed, accredited laboratories
- adverse test results are reported to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the local medical officer of health
Municipality and Townships
- Oxford County
- Town of Aylmer
- Bayham (Port Burwell, Straffordville, Vienna, Eden)
- Central Elgin (Belmont, Port Stanley, Sparta, New Sarum)
- Dutton-Dunwich (Dutton, Wallacetown)
- Malahide (Springfield, Port Bruce)
- City of St. Thomas
- Southwold (Fingal, Shedden)
- West Elgin (Port Glasgow, Rodney, West Lorne)
- Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System: This site provides the latest reports on the Elgin Area water system that feeds Elgin County and St. Thomas.
- Oxford County provides safe, potable drinking water for municipalities within the County of Oxford.
Boil water advisories
The Ontario provincial government, through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, regulates municipal water systems to ensure water is safe to drink. When the water is no longer safe to drink, a “Boil Water Advisory” is issued by Southwestern Public Health's Medical Officer of Health and the municipality. Visit our boil water advisory frequently asked questions for more information.