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Municipal Departments
Municipal Departments

Water Distribution

Each time you turn on your tap, flush your toilet or water your lawn in Port Hope, you and your family are receiving the highest quality drinking water that is transported through a complex network of reservoirs, pumping stations and trunk water mains.   The municipality maintains (as of December 31, 2010): 

    95 kilometers of watermain 
    450 fire hydrants
    500 mainline valves
    4300 residential and commercial water services connections
    4300 water meters

Some of the maintenance activities we perform are:

Watermain break repairs
Hydrant preventative maintenance and repairs
Valve preventative maintenance and repairs
Water line service installation/replacement/repairs
Customer service calls (water quality/quantity, turn off/on, pressure testing, etc)

Water Distribution has one Supervisor, three licensed operators and one experienced laborer to complete all this work. The department has approximately 500 valves and we exercise our valves annually.  These valves are used to shut off sections of the distribution system for repair and maintenance.   Exercising them is the term used in the industry for operating or turning them. 

The tops of our hydrants are color coded to allow the fire department to know how much water is available from a particular hydrant.   The hydrants are flushed twice annually to ensure their operation and keep older water mains clear of iron deposits.

The distribution system is divided into two (2) zones (Zone 1 and 2).  Zone 1 is located in the eastern portion of the community and includes a 1,082 m3 standpipe which provides storage and also regulates pressure in Zone 1.   Zone 2 encompasses the more elevated lands to the west and includes a 2,273 m3 reservoir, a 3,000 m3 elevated tank, and two (2) booster stations.  The Victoria Street Booster Station and the Jocelyn Street Reservoir maintain the system pressure and flow rates in the Zone 2 area. 

The Municipality of Port Hope celebrated a ribbon cutting at its new water tower on November 9, 2009.   With sufficient water supply to meet the maximum daily demands of the community until at least 2031, the new water tower, along with the Jocelyn Street Reservoir, and the new water treatment plant, will enable the municipality to meet water storage requirements for expected population growth over the next 25 years.    The new water tower also provides increased water flow supply for the needs of the Fire Department in Port Hope's west end.   Construction on the elevated water storage tank began in December 2008 on Fox Road, south of Highway 401, along with the 400 mm water main connecting the new tank to the existing water main on Toronto Road. Construction costs were approximately $3.3 million and the water tower has a storage capacity of 3,000 m3 and is 47 m in height.