St. John’s Water and Sewer: Supply, Billing and Problems

Where the water comes from

The City of St. John’s operates three water treatment facilities, located at Windsor Lake, Petty Harbour Long Pond and Bay Bulls Big Pond. At each, water goes through several treatment steps to improve quality and make it safe to drink. Fluoride is not added to the city’s drinking water.

• Windsor Lake Water Treatment Facility treats water collected from the Broad Cove River, Windsor Lake and Little Powers Pond watersheds, and can treat up to 70,000 cubic metres a day.
• Bay Bulls Big Pond Water Treatment Facility treats water collected from Bay Bulls Big Pond, and can treat up to 85,000 cubic metres a day.
• Petty Harbour Long Pond Water Treatment Facility is the city’s newest plant, with a rated capacity of 14,500 cubic metres a day.
• Each facility includes a water quality laboratory staffed by qualified technologists who work closely with system operators to monitor water quality.

Storage, testing and what you might notice

The City maintains more than 95,000 cubic metres of water storage in reservoirs that hold treated water before it enters the distribution system. Those reservoirs maintain adequate flow and pressure for homes, businesses and industry, store water during periods of low demand, provide supply during short power outages, and hold reserves for fire protection and other emergencies.

Drinking water in St. John’s is regularly tested and meets or exceeds provincial and national guidelines. Each day, samples are collected from more than 70 sampling locations throughout the distribution system. Detailed community water quality results are also tested and reported by the provincial government as part of its monitoring of public water supplies.

• Cloudy water is usually caused by air bubbles and should clear quickly.
• A chlorine taste or smell can occur, and letting the water sit exposed to air may reduce it.
• Discoloured hot water may indicate corrosion in a hot water tank or boiler.
• A chemical smell in summer can sometimes occur if a garden hose is left turned on at the house.

How water and sewer are paid for

There is no separate water utility bill in St. John’s. Water and sewer are funded through property tax, and the City’s mill rate depends on what services a property receives: a property with both water and sewer services, with either one, or with neither is taxed at a different rate, for residential and commercial properties alike. Water tax is calculated on a per-unit basis, and the City also publishes water meter rates.

Because mill rates and water rates are set annually, check the City’s tax rates page for the current figures rather than working from an older bill. The same page covers the reduction available to senior citizens who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Breaks, frozen pipes and backups

If you experience a water or sewer emergency, the City asks you to contact Access St. John’s, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The City also publishes water and sewer advisories covering watermain breaks, planned water shut-offs, emergency repairs and infrastructure-related road work, and residents can subscribe to receive those notices by email.

Frozen service lines are a recurring winter problem. If pipes freeze inside your home, contact a licensed plumber. If no water is entering your home, the external service line may be frozen, and during extremely cold weather you can help prevent freezing by leaving a faucet slightly running. The City may thaw external service lines only. That service requires the homeowner to sign a waiver and to pay the City, and it is available for owner-occupied homes, condominiums and co-operative housing. Calls are handled in the order they are received, and the property owner is responsible for restoring any property or structures the City disturbs while doing the work.

The City also runs a dedicated leak detection team that inspects over 620 kilometres of watermains each year, finding and fixing leaks before they become failures.

• Water or sewer emergency — Access St. John’s, 24 hours a day.
• Frozen pipes inside the home — a licensed plumber.
• A service line that is no longer in use — the City, which requires permits, a deposit and an inspection before the work is backfilled.

What happens to the wastewater

The Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility is a primary treatment plant that processes wastewater from the City of St. John’s, the City of Mount Pearl and the Town of Paradise. The system serves a population of about 135,000 people and treats approximately 135 million litres of wastewater each day, removing about 30 tonnes of solid waste daily that would otherwise enter St. John’s Harbour.

Wastewater travels through underground sewer pipes to the facility, where large items such as garbage and debris are removed first and sand, gravel and other heavy materials are separated. The flow then moves through large tanks where solid material settles to the bottom and is removed, and the water is disinfected before being released into the harbour. The solids are treated separately and prepared for safe disposal, and the process produces methane gas which is reused to heat buildings at the facility.

Water conservation and the four stages

The City’s Water Conservation Order has been in place since 2002 and applies to all outside uses of water in the city. It establishes four stages of conservation, and failure to comply with the order can result in prosecution and a fine, so the current stage is worth checking rather than guessing at.

• Stage 1, Normal Water Conservation, is in effect each year from 1 May to 15 October unless the City implements a higher stage. Lawn watering by sprinkler is limited to scheduled days and times based on address, while trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetable gardens may be watered any time using a watering can or a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
• New lawns must be registered with the City, and daily watering is permitted for 60 days after registration.
• Vehicle washing, driveway cleaning, windows and siding are allowed at any time using a bucket, or a hose or pressure washer with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
• Stage 2 is Voluntary Enhanced Water Conservation, activated during hot, dry conditions or high system demand, with Stage 1 restrictions continuing to apply.
• Stage 3 is Mandatory Water Use Restrictions, activated during extreme conditions or risk to the water supply. It prohibits lawn watering, watering plants, gardens, trees and shrubs, washing vehicles and driveways, cleaning windows and siding with a hose or pressure washer, filling or topping up pools, hot tubs and water features, and recreational water use such as sprinklers and splash pads.
• Stage 4 is Emergency Water Use Restrictions, which can be implemented at any time to address an emergency. Water use is limited to essential life-safety needs such as drinking, sanitation and firefighting, all Stage 3 exceptions are prohibited, and existing new-lawn permits become invalid.