FAQ: Long-Term Water Supply Strategy

The Town of Tillsonburg’s dynamic water supply capacity accounts for any operational constraints on the total water supply, such as offline wells, reduced well capacity, and water quality considerations.

Maximum day demand is used in determining capacity requirements, as the dynamic supply capacity must be able to meet peak demand while maintaining reservoir levels required for fire protection.

Oxford County is growing more quickly than expected at the time the Water and Wastewater Plan was first developed between 2022 and 2024, with a significant amount of Oxford’s growth taking place in Tillsonburg. 

We are revisiting our water supply planning for Tillsonburg ahead of the next master plan update so that we are prepared for future growth, beyond what is already approved, in the community

In the short term, Oxford County is undertaking four well projects to increase water supply capacity from 10,066 m3 (cubic meters) per day to 13,262 m3/day over the next four years. These projects include:

2027

• Rehabilitation work on Well 6a to increase volume by 3 liters per second (L/s) 
• Returning Well 3 to service with an additional 13 L/s 
• Redrilling Well 11 to provide an additional 14 L/s 

2030

• Rehabilitation work on Well 2a to provide an additional 4 L/s 

The County is also working with the Town of Tillsonburg and the Township of Norwich (Oxford South Water System) on a Long-Term Water Supply Strategy. This work is being supported by CIMA+ as a project consultant and will bring forward a full assessment and recommendations in spring 2027.

Oxford County’s municipal water is 100% supplied by groundwater, which takes longer to replenish and is more vulnerable to overuse than municipal water from other sources, like lakes or rivers. With higher-than-expected population growth in Tillsonburg, there is more demand for water from new homes, businesses and services, and this is expected to continue.  

Growth and development is guided by the Government of Ontario, and there is an expectation that municipalities will adopt plans to prepare for growth. Oxford County is acting now to ensure Tillsonburg can remain open to further growth. 

Right now, Tillsonburg has enough water capacity to meet currently approved development and its growth needs to the year 2045. However, some of the approved plans for new development —each of which includes a commitment to a share of water capacity—have been inactive for a period of time. Oxford County’s recent Water and Wastewater Capacity Allocation By-law now places a time limit on how long a development can hold onto a share of water supply without entering the building or construction stage. If some of these water capacity allocations expire, they may become available to other development projects that seek to move forward in a timely manner. 

The Long-Term Water Supply Strategy will bring a full assessment and recommendations to address this issue in spring 2027.

The Long-Term Water Supply Strategy, now in development, will feed its results into the next Water and Wastewater Masterplan (W&WWMP) starting in 2027. This process  will include public consultation before final recommendations are brought forward in 2028/29, including a public consultation meeting and an opportunity to submit comments online through a feedback form. Please check this page again for more details on the upcoming W&WWMP process.