Water and Wastewater Master Plan

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Updated July 19, 2023


Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan

County Council received the Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan on July 12, 2023. At Council’s request, the draft plan is being posted for an additional 75-day informal comment period before it moves to the final approval stage.

Under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Master Plans, this last stage will include a final 30-day public review period before the document is accepted as the final 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan.

The Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan identifies the water and wastewater infrastructure needed to accommodate Oxford County’s projected population and employment growth to 2046.

Specifically, it brings forward strategies that identify how and where the County will:

  • optimize existing infrastructure;
  • explore new well supplies;
  • expand water/wastewater treatment plants;
  • extend water distribution and wastewater collection systems;
  • build additional system redundancy;
  • continue to employ water conservation and source water protection; and,
  • introduce sewer system inflow and infiltration reduction.


Read the Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan

Appendices:


Read the Council report: PW 2023-33: 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan
Read the Draft Master Plan Executive Summary
See materials from Public Consultation Centre #2 in Project Updates


About the Water and Wastewater Master Plan

Oxford County communities are growing, and so is our water and wastewater infrastructure. Supplying clean, safe drinking water to our residents and industry users and properly collecting and treating wastewater has a direct impact on the health of our community and the environment.

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan will set out the long-term water and wastewater servicing strategies to support existing needs and accommodate future growth in population and employment through to the year 2046. The Plan will ensure that the infrastructure improvements we make today will support the long-term growth and goals of Oxford County.

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan will consist of:

  • a comprehensive background review of water and wastewater services, including water distribution, wastewater collection, treatment facilities, storage towers and more;
  • a situation analysis of the County's current water and wastewater needs and projected changes to population, development, social and economic conditions, economy, facilities, and land use and planning initiatives;
  • a summary of public feedback;
  • a review of best practices; and,
  • list of recommendations and proposals to guide the County’s future water and wastewater services.


About the Class EA process for Master Plans

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan is being undertaken in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Master Plans, which ensures:

  1. all reasonable alternatives, including "Do Nothing," are considered; and
  2. that a preferred alternative will have minimal impact on the natural, cultural, social, and economic environment.


Have your say

Public participation and feedback is an important part of identifying the servicing needs and priorities of communities throughout Oxford County. All of Oxford’s residents and businesses were encouraged to provide comments through the master planning process. A first phase of public consultation ran from March to October 19, 2022, and a second phase began in June 2023 with the online Public Consultation Centre #2. Watch the video recording | Download the presentation slides

You can submit a comment or question about the 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan by:

  • FILLING OUT THE COMMENT FORM
    Send your comment or question about the Water and Wastewater Master Plan to the project team using the "Comments & questions" form below.

  • CONTACTING THE PROJECT LEADS
    You can submit a comment or question directly to one of the project's key contacts at any time:

Don Ford
Manager, Water and Wastewater Services
Oxford County
519-539-9800 x 3191
dford@oxfordcounty.ca


John Tyrrell, M.Sc. (Eng.), P.Eng.
Senior Project Manager
R.V. Anderson Associates Limited
519-681-9916 x 5038
jtyrrell@rvanderson.com

To add your name to the study mailing list to receive notices of future consultation opportunities, contact Mackenzie Schultz, Supervisor of Water and Wastewater Technical Services, at mschultz@oxfordcounty.ca.

Updated July 19, 2023


Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan

County Council received the Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan on July 12, 2023. At Council’s request, the draft plan is being posted for an additional 75-day informal comment period before it moves to the final approval stage.

Under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Master Plans, this last stage will include a final 30-day public review period before the document is accepted as the final 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan.

The Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan identifies the water and wastewater infrastructure needed to accommodate Oxford County’s projected population and employment growth to 2046.

Specifically, it brings forward strategies that identify how and where the County will:

  • optimize existing infrastructure;
  • explore new well supplies;
  • expand water/wastewater treatment plants;
  • extend water distribution and wastewater collection systems;
  • build additional system redundancy;
  • continue to employ water conservation and source water protection; and,
  • introduce sewer system inflow and infiltration reduction.


Read the Draft 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan

Appendices:


Read the Council report: PW 2023-33: 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan
Read the Draft Master Plan Executive Summary
See materials from Public Consultation Centre #2 in Project Updates


About the Water and Wastewater Master Plan

Oxford County communities are growing, and so is our water and wastewater infrastructure. Supplying clean, safe drinking water to our residents and industry users and properly collecting and treating wastewater has a direct impact on the health of our community and the environment.

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan will set out the long-term water and wastewater servicing strategies to support existing needs and accommodate future growth in population and employment through to the year 2046. The Plan will ensure that the infrastructure improvements we make today will support the long-term growth and goals of Oxford County.

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan will consist of:

  • a comprehensive background review of water and wastewater services, including water distribution, wastewater collection, treatment facilities, storage towers and more;
  • a situation analysis of the County's current water and wastewater needs and projected changes to population, development, social and economic conditions, economy, facilities, and land use and planning initiatives;
  • a summary of public feedback;
  • a review of best practices; and,
  • list of recommendations and proposals to guide the County’s future water and wastewater services.


About the Class EA process for Master Plans

The Water and Wastewater Master Plan is being undertaken in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Master Plans, which ensures:

  1. all reasonable alternatives, including "Do Nothing," are considered; and
  2. that a preferred alternative will have minimal impact on the natural, cultural, social, and economic environment.


Have your say

Public participation and feedback is an important part of identifying the servicing needs and priorities of communities throughout Oxford County. All of Oxford’s residents and businesses were encouraged to provide comments through the master planning process. A first phase of public consultation ran from March to October 19, 2022, and a second phase began in June 2023 with the online Public Consultation Centre #2. Watch the video recording | Download the presentation slides

You can submit a comment or question about the 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan by:

  • FILLING OUT THE COMMENT FORM
    Send your comment or question about the Water and Wastewater Master Plan to the project team using the "Comments & questions" form below.

  • CONTACTING THE PROJECT LEADS
    You can submit a comment or question directly to one of the project's key contacts at any time:

Don Ford
Manager, Water and Wastewater Services
Oxford County
519-539-9800 x 3191
dford@oxfordcounty.ca


John Tyrrell, M.Sc. (Eng.), P.Eng.
Senior Project Manager
R.V. Anderson Associates Limited
519-681-9916 x 5038
jtyrrell@rvanderson.com

To add your name to the study mailing list to receive notices of future consultation opportunities, contact Mackenzie Schultz, Supervisor of Water and Wastewater Technical Services, at mschultz@oxfordcounty.ca.

Ask a question

Ask us a question or send a comment about the Oxford County Water and Wastewater Master Plan. If you prefer to receive a private answer, please note in your question. Otherwise, answers will be publicly posted. 

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    Considering that currently we are getting more water through much rainfall that we should be building more water towers to collect and hold this extra water to be used during the drought times. Also rain barrels and even double rain barrels should be encouraged for each house .

    Bernice Marsland asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your comment. Rain barrels are an excellent option for residents to hold non-potable water for external water use. Oxford County has units for sale at cost: https://www.oxfordcounty.ca/en/services-for-you/water-conservation.aspx#Using-rain-barrels-to-collect-rain-water-for-outdoor-water-use. 

    Oxford County only has a potable (drinking) water system that is treated and tested in compliance to current regulation for safe consumption by consumers, and does not have a second non-potable system for external water use. For this reason we cannot include rainwater in elevated storage to mix within the existing system.

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    The current watering restrictions for gardens and lawns in Tillsonburg lead one to believe that there is not enough water and water pressure to cater to the current housing and commercial developments. Would please give me a complete answer with some details of capacity and pressures? Thank you.

    jaykay asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. The Water and Wastewater Master Plan focuses on long-term planning for future growth and development, while summer water conservation measures are in place to help manage water demand through periods of dry weather. At the online public meeting held on June 27, Oxford County presented the proposed long-term projects to increase the water supply in Tillsonburg that includes returning two wells back into service, replacing two more existing wells, and water storage expansions. You can watch a recording of the public meeting or download the presentation on the project page here: https://speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/wwwmp/news_feed/information-from-public-consultation-centre 

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    Why is Oxford county just relying on well water? Can we establish a more permanent supply like Lake Erie?

    Tony asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. Oxford County’s communities are located above aquifers that provide our 17 drinking water systems with high-quality water. The County continues to invest in optimizing and expanding its well supplies to ensure the County is well positioned to reliably meet typical daily consumptive water demands of community residents and businesses and provide adequate water storage for critical fire fighting needs. While alternative (i.e., lake based) water servicing of Tillsonburg may be possible, the County has not undertaken a current comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of lake based (versus groundwater based) servicing at this time as part of this Master Plan (out of scope), but recognize this approach can be considered in more detail in the future reviews.  

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    Is there any aesthetic water treatment planned for Ingersoll?

    Ryan v asked 3 months ago

    As part of the master planning process, Oxford County and its consultants sought our public feedback for proposed waster services projects. One of the projects recommended during the first round of public consultation was for water quality improvement in Ingersoll (taste/odor). As a result, a pilot project to address this is being proposed as part of the capital implementation plan. Please note that suggested projects in the Water and Wastewater Master Plan must still be endorsed by County Council through the budget approval process.

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    I had a discussion with the Site Engineer in Embro while the sewers were being installed 7 or 8 years ago. He mentioned at the time that the Embro water system was close to it's limit as far as distribution was concerned (with lack of storage, it essentially meant that whenever someone turned on a tap the pumps at the well would go on). Since then we now have 2 new sub divisions with a third on the way creating even more load, I am wondering if a water tower is being planned and what would be the implications regarding taxes etc.

    Tony asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. The good news today is that the Embro system has adequate water capacity for all of the community’s needs, including planned growth. While there is adequate water storage for the system, Oxford County recognizes that in the long term, there will need to be additional storage added. We would make those infrastructure decisions based on growth and make those requests to County Council during the budget process.

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    With all the infill lots that are receiving multiple variances, what is Oxford County doing to ensure water and waste water is accommodating these new uses and increased densities?

    SocietyProfile asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. Oxford County continually monitors available water and wastewater supply and treatment capabilities, then reviews this available capacity against all new development applications before they are approved. As part of the master planning process, remaining capacity will be reviewed against approved and forecasted growth to help us better understand what infrastructure projects may need to be undertaken to continue to provide the water and wastewater servicing necessary to accommodate growth.

Page last updated: 28 Sep 2023, 09:16 PM