The first question a plumber should ask on this shoreline is where the water comes from. Five municipalities cover the area from Wasaga Beach to Meaford, and each runs a different system. Past the edge of each serviced area, the house has its own well. The same symptom, “no water at the tap”, means a different job in each case.
Where each town gets its water
Every row below comes from the municipality’s own drinking-water report.
| Town | Source | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| Collingwood | Nottawasaga Bay, intake about 765 m offshore, ultrafiltration membranes | Town of Collingwood, Raymond A. Barker plant |
| Wasaga Beach | Six town wells at two pumphouses | Treatment by the Ontario Clean Water Agency, pipes by the Town |
| Thornbury and serviced Blue Mountains | Georgian Bay, Thornbury plant on Peel Street, plus a supply from Collingwood | Town of The Blue Mountains |
| Stayner | Four township wells, supply at its available capacity | Township of Clearview |
| Creemore | Two township wells | Township of Clearview |
| Meaford | Georgian Bay intake, plant first built 1959/60 | Municipality of Meaford |
So “town water” is bay water in Collingwood and Meaford, and groundwater in Wasaga Beach, Stayner and Creemore. Groundwater carries more iron and minerals. Wasaga Beach adds sodium silicate to hold its iron in solution, and Stayner’s treatment includes iron control.
How a private well system works
Outside the serviced areas, from the farms around Creemore to the rural lots in Clearview and the concessions behind Thornbury, the house is on a private well. The parts:
- The well and the pump. A submersible pump sits down in the well; some older systems use a jet pump in the house.
- The pressure tank. It holds water under pressure against an air charge, so the pump does not start every time a tap opens.
- The pressure switch. It starts the pump when pressure falls to the cut-in setting and stops it at the cut-out setting.
- Treatment, if any. A softener, an iron filter or a UV unit, depending on the water.
Which side of the line a problem is on
Ontario draws a legal line through a well system. Installing a pump in a well is well work under Ontario Regulation 903 (Wells), and the person doing it needs a Class 4 well technician licence. The pressure tank, the switch and everything past them is plumbing.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Pump clicks on and off fast | Pressure tank has lost its air charge | Plumber |
| Pressure surges at the taps | Tank charge or switch settings | Plumber |
| No water, pump silent | Breaker, switch, or the pump | Plumber first, then well technician |
| Pump runs with nothing on | A leak, or a failing check valve | Either |
| Sand or air in the water | The pump or the well | Well technician |
Well pump and pressure tank service covers the house side, and says so when the problem is down the well.
What a well changes for the rest of the plumbing
Iron and hardness show up on fixtures first: orange stains in toilets and basins, white scale on aerators. They also settle in water heaters, so an owned tank on a well needs flushing. The water heater page covers the common faults.
A well house usually has a septic system instead of a town sewer. That means a municipal sewer backup cannot reach it, and a backwater valve is not the answer to a slow drain. Septic problems belong to a septic contractor.
Testing private well water
A private well is the owner’s responsibility. Public Health Ontario tests private well water for bacteria at no charge, using sample bottles from your local health unit. Test after the spring melt, after any work on the well, and whenever the water changes taste, smell or colour.
Wells and winter
The line from the well to the house freezes where it enters the building if the entry is shallow or exposed. A cottage on a well needs the pump switched off, the pressure tank drained and the lines blown out when it closes. The cottage winterizing guide covers that shutdown in order, and the note on Wasaga Beach water covers what town groundwater does to fixtures.