Water and wastewater compliance
Peel’s municipal water and wastewater systems, facilities, and equipment are operated in compliance with provincial legislation and federal regulation, where relevant.
We provide Peel residents, businesses, and visitors with clean, safe drinking water while protecting the natural environment.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) regulates municipal systems to ensure that water and wastewater are treated properly, and that the treatment process doesn’t harm the environment.
MECP outlines the water and wastewater system requirements through legislation and system-specific documents. Peel Region, like all Ontario system owners and operating agencies, need to meet these requirements.
Managing water and wastewater system modifications and expansions
Peel compliance staff manage modifications and expansions to treatment facilities, wastewater collection and water distribution systems. We also manage the required MECP approvals for these changes.
We work closely with the MECP to:
- Protect Peel’s environment, source water and to ensure delivery of quality drinking water.
- Apply effective solutions based on established requirements and incident awareness.
- Respond to our community’s requests and enquiries to address concerns and questions.
- Continually improve the operation and management of water and wastewater systems through training, resources, monitoring, reporting, and overall legislation enforcement.
For more information about water and wastewater compliance in Peel, email us or call our Water Quality Line at 905-791-7800 ext. 4685.
Other information
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) inspects our water and wastewater systems to ensure they’re operating as required and maintain compliance with legislated requirements.
Between these inspections, we regularly check that the equipment at our water and wastewater facilities is working as it should be. We also check to ensure that processes and record-keeping practices are being followed properly.
Regular inspections help identify and quickly address potential problems. By doing so, we maintain our commitments within the Drinking Water Quality Management System and Wastewater Integrated Management System.
We monitor water quality through regular sampling and testing to identify trends for Peel’s water supply and wastewater treatment plant discharge and to spot and respond to any undesired deviations. For test results refer to our Annual Water Quality Reports and Wastewater Annual Reports.
For more information about water and wastewater inspections in Peel, email us or call our Water Quality Line at 905-791-7800 ext. 4685.
We treat Peel’s source water (Lake Ontario and municipal wells) to remove contaminants. We also regularly test our high-quality drinking water to ensure that it meets Safe Drinking Water Act requirements and regulations.
Our extensive monitoring program goes beyond the minimum regulatory requirements. This extra monitoring helps us understand source water quality and the effectiveness of our treatment processes. It also allows us to diligently monitor and protect Peel’s drinking water supply.
We collect thousands of water samples each year. We report every adverse water quality event to the Medical Officer of Health and the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks as well as initiate immediate corrective action to resolve the issue and implement control measures to prevent its reoccurrence.
For details on past adverse water events, refer to our Annual Water Quality Reports.
For more information about water compliance in Peel, email us or call our Water Quality Line at 905-791-7800 ext. 4685.
Wastewater from Peel homes and businesses travels through municipal sewer pipes to Peel’s wastewater treatment facilities, where the water is treated to reduce contaminants before it is released back into the environment.
Our treated wastewater meets the stringent standards before it is discharged directly or indirectly into Lake Ontario, the main source of drinking water for Peel and many other municipalities.
Peel Region’s wastewater systems are governed by the operation, maintenance, monitoring and reporting requirements of the Ontario Environmental Protection Act. All of Peel Region’s wastewater systems operate under this Act. Peel also reports treated wastewater quality and quantity in accordance with the Canadian Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulation that focuses on protection of Canadian water, aquatic habitat, and human health.
We collect wastewater from our communities, monitor flows, ensure effective treatment, and assess the quality of treated wastewater to protect the natural environment. For details about the wastewater sampling program and reporting, refer to our Wastewater Annual Reports.
For more information about wastewater compliance in Peel, email us or call our Water Quality Line at 905-791-7800 ext. 4685.
