If you live in Markham, Richmond Hill, Stouffville, Toronto, or any other municipality in Ontario you can feel safe about drinking tap water. That’s right, I said drinking tap water. Although many drink bottled water, tap water is perfectly safe to drink.
It’s been over 20 years since the Walkerton water tragedy killed seven residents and made over 2,500 people very sick. This tragedy single handedly changed the government’s policies regarding water management.
The outcome of this horrifying event has impacted us in many ways. It affects how we use and potentially how we don’t use tap water. It also impacts our wallets; bottled water consumption has seen a major increase since the Walkerton tragedy. Currently the bottled water industry is estimated at 391 billion dollars not to mention the appalling impact to the environment.
Water is life, it is essential to our health and wellbeing. We do not need the burden of wondering if our water is safe every time we turn on the tap. It is the responsibility of the municipality in which we live to ensure our water is safe.
The Walkerton disaster cost an estimated 155 million dollars. This disaster, while tragic, has probably saved lives; how? Ninety-three recommendations were made to ensure that this disaster never happens again. These recommendations have influenced provincial policies and municipal by-laws across Canada.
These recommendations have defined the responsibility of the municipality as well as property owners’ responsibility regarding the contamination of your municipality’s drinking water. Most municipalities across Ontario require that all industrial, commercial and institutional properties as well as some residential properties comply with backflow prevention bylaws. Contact us today to learn more; our O.W.W.A certified licensed Plumbers will provide you with all the necessary details you need to ensure you comply with your municipality backflow prevention by-laws.