FAQs

The Township billing will begin May 13th upon assumption of the system, any discussions about May billing or postdated cheques should be discussed with Paul Knipfel.

We are unable to provide the estimate at this time. There is the potential it may go up.

Until such time as individual meters are installed, the Township will continue the practice of dividing the costs of water across the existing customer base.  The Region has an outdoor water use bylaw to ensure that water for lawn water and other outdoor uses is done appropriately.  This will apply to Petersburg starting this May. The Township has heard the feedback from the community and will work to put meter in place as early as possible.

A portion of the municipal fees you are going to pay is the cost to operate the system and the other portion contributes to a municipal water reserve fund for future upgrades. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires municipal governments to fully recover the cost of water systems which includes any current costs and future upgrade costs

The Township finance department will set up an account for each costumer.  Bills can be paid through the mail or through online banking.  

As part of the billing process the Township will provide details on the quantity of water consumed that will be used in calculating the water bills.  

Yes, the goal is to have individual meters installed.  The current timeline for installation is by Spring of 2025 and the Township will look to see if there is any opportunity to expedite this.  The Region has a water efficiency group, once individual meters are installed if you feel your bill is high there is a service for a home audit to help to reduce your water loss/consumption  

Expect to be able to install the meter within the house

Meters are not rented, they are purchased.  

These will be standard meters that are read remotely.

There is time required to plan and execute the meter installation. The Township is working on it as a priority job, and if we are able to do early, we will do it.

Once the municipalities start operating the systems the water pressure challenges will be looked into.  There is an expected level of service pressure for municipal water and if this is not met, it will be investigated and steps will be identified to solve the problem.  Any concerns with the water system can be sent to the Township's public works publicworks@wilmot.ca or 519-634-8444

Based on evaluation of the permit to take water, there is ample supply to sustain the community customer base. With St. Agatha there were concerns with water quality with the existing sources and an immediate solution was required to address these concerns. There is currently no plan to connect to the Region’s existing system, but this will be evaluated in the longer term study.

The focus for the immediate upgrades will be those that are required to allow the system to be reliabily operated as a municipal system.  Iron is considered an aesthetic objective (relating to taste or odour) and therefore is not being considered for the immediate upgrades.  This will be considered under the longer term study that will begin later this year.

If you experience discoloured water, run a tap closest to where the water enters the house, in the basement if possible, until the water runs clear.  This discolouration is likely caused by naturally occurring iron the gets deposited in the watermains. The addition of a hydrant to do maintenance at the well house should help to reduce disruptions. 

The Region does not have any plans to supply water from this well to other areas at this time. The benefit of a Regional system is that it allows us to look holistically and identify where water is sustainably available and where it is needed to support our communities.  For example, the Shingletown wells referenced provide water to Baden and New Hamburg, within Wilmot as well as contributing to our integrated system that supplies water to Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Woolwich and St. Agatha.  This integrated approach allows us to balance supply and demand across the Region.  

There is adequate supply for the current customer base, and additional available for lots within the community boundaries to connect should there be interest. There will be future studies by our dedicated team of hydrogeologists to review the state of the well and its capacity.

Township has some approved budget for this year to completed the studies, work is being done for council approval for more budgets. As discussed the cost for the immediate capital upgrades required will need to be recovered by the existing customers.  Additional details on these costs will be presented to the community later this year and no costs to the customers will go forward without feedback from the community and approval by each of the municipal councils.  

Absolutely.  This information will be made available at the next open house.  

The work at St. Agatha was completed 20 years ago and the Region's portion the cost was $5,000 per household there were additional cost from the township for upgrades to the distribution system, but that information was not readily available. The Township and Region are working on cost estimates for the immediate upgrades and this information will be brought back to the community this summer.

Through a townhall just like today. In addition letters will be provided to each household detailing the costs as well as payment plan options and timelines.

We are not aware of any reserves available from the existing  system.

The upgrades identified need to be completed immediately to ensured the continued reliable operation of the water system.  As municipal water customers, future longer term upgrades will be covered by the municipal reserve.  

The Region will be looking at standby power through their upcoming long term study for the supply (Class Environmental Assessment). The immediate upgrades only focus on the critical investments that are you required to bring the system up to a reliable municipal standard.

Based on evaluation of permit to take water, there is ample supply to for additional customers, and an opportunity to consider allowing new customers.  New customers would be responsible for paying for the cost to extend the existing distribution system, if required and would need to pay their portion of the capital upgrades charge that was incurred by existing customers.  If new customers join the system, a partial rebate will be paid to existing customers who paid the upgrades charge.

Once online metering is installed at the supply, this information will help to identify if there are leaks in the distribution system. Once individual meters are installed residents will not be paying for any leaks in the system and the individual billing will assist homeowners identify any leaks within their own home.

The Region's long term study will look at many different aspects of the supply system including fire protection, water quality issues, future investment needs. Feedback from the community will be solicited through public consultation, with outreach to the community through Engage WR, town halls, and letters, similar to this process.  

There are no plans for a municipal sanitary system.  

The Region and Township cannot comment on any contracts set up between customers and Paul, this will need to be discussed with him.