Frequently Asked Questions
To learn more, please select a questions from the list below or scroll down the page.
- What is my water hardness?
- Is there fluoride in my water and if so, how much?
- What chemicals are added to water for the treatment process?
- There is a rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide) odour coming from my bathroom water. What is wrong with it?
- How often is chlorine added and how often is it monitored?
- My water tastes like a swimming pool! Can you turn down the chlorine?
- Is my tap water safe to drink?
- My water has an earthy, musty odour. Is it safe to drink?
- My water is grey in colour and cloudy. Should I drink it?
- I have low water pressure? How can I fix it?
- I want to dig some fence postholes in my yard. Will the region locate my water service for free?
What is my water hardness?
Windsor's water is considered to be moderately hard. Hardness values vary from mid 90's to 125 mg/l (milligrams per liter) or PPM (parts per million)
Is there fluoride in my water and if so, how much?
Fluoride is added to Windsor water. Fluoridation of all finished water to a level of 0.60 mg/l of fluoride ion (F) is precisely controlled by the addition of Hydrofluorocylisic acid (a liquid). Monitoring of the final fluoride concentration is conducted on a continuous basis at the purification plant.
What chemicals are added to water for the treatment process?
Ozone gas is generated and injected into the water to destroy bacteria and viruses and control taste and odour-causing materials. Alum (aluminum sulphate) is added to produce a gelly-like floc particle that attracts and captures colour particles, bacteria, and suspended solids from the water so that they can be removed.
To assist the alum in it's removal of particles, a polymer (magnafloc LT 22) is added to produce larger, stronger floc particles that can be removed from the water more efficiently in the settling and filtering processes.
Liquid Chlorine is added to the water as it is leaving the treatment process to ensure the water is protected as it travels through the distribution piping from the potential introduction of bacteria through leaks or other means. Concentration of Chlorine is strictly controlled at 1.2 mg/l (PPM) by continuous monitoring of the treated water stream. Fluoride is added to the water to prevent tooth decay in children.
There is a rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide) odour coming from my bathroom water. What is wrong with it?
The rotten egg odour that is sometimes detected in the water from the bathroom sink is in fact not in the water. All sinks are equipped with "S" shaped traps that contain a water seal to prevent the sewer gases from the sanitary sewer from entering the house. Gases from the sewer can be absorbed into this water if it is left standing for extended periods of time without use, such as when the home owner is on vacation or even over night. When the water is turned on, the water exiting the tap displaces the air in the piping and a short duration indication of the rotten egg smell is detected. A quick way to determine this is to collect a glass of the water leaving the tap and smelling it away from the sink where no rotten egg smell will be detected.
How often is chlorine added and how often is it monitored?
Chlorine is added on a continuous basis to the water leaving the treatment process at a strictly controlled concentration of 1.2 mg/l. The concentration is monitored on a continuous basis through an on line monitor and is sampled by the operator hourly, 24 hours per day. In addition, the concentration of chlorine in the water is monitored at 18 locations through the distribution system on a daily basis to ensure an adequate concentration is maintained to ensure a safe supply of water to the customers.
My water tastes like a swimming pool! Can you turn down the chlorine?
Chlorine concentrations maintained in the distribution piping supplying water to our customers is controlled based on requirements of the Ministry of the Environment to ensure adequate chlorine concentration to maintain safe drinking water to all customers. As a result, some customers living close to the treatment facility may experience higher chlorine concentrations than customers living further from the treatment plant as the concentration added must be sufficient to ensure adequate chlorine at the furthest extremes of the distribution system.
Is my tap water safe to drink?
The answer to this question is simple: YES. The Windsor Utilities Commission is committed to adhering to the standards set by the regulating organizations. However, all sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or are man made. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals. All drinking water can reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some of these. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in the drinking water than the general public. Immuno compromised persons are those persons undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders. Some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk from infections and these people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
My water has an earthy, musty odour. Is it safe to drink?
Water with an earthy, musty odour is safe to drink. The musty earthy odour is typically caused by a group of naturally occurring organic chemicals formed from dying water vegetation in the source water. Windsor experienced such a problem in the early 1990's but this has been corrected with the introduction of Ozone into our treatment process.
My water is grey in colour and cloudy. Should I drink it?
This problem is typically observed during colder weather periods when the cold water leaves the customers' plumbing through the tap and enters the warm air or glass. Air, dissolved in the cold water, forms tiny air bubbles in the water that appear as a grey cloudy condition. Letting the water stand for a few minutes will result in the air bubbles rising to the surface and leaving the water clear. The water is safe to drink as air bubbles are the source of this condition
I have low water pressure? How can I fix it?
If at any time you experience water pressure low enough to affect the use of your fixtures, such as shower, toilet flushing, etc., the office of the Windsor Utilities Commission should be notified so that a qualified operator can investigate the cause of this problem. It may be as simple as excessive use of water in your neighbourhood or city-wide during the high consumption periods of the summer months or as involved as a water supply main break that will require the services of a repair crew to expose and repair to return the system to proper service. Normally this problem is not one that the customer is able to fix themselves unless the supply valve to the customers plumbing has been closed or partially closed during plumbing repairs.
I want to dig some fence postholes in my yard. Will the region locate my water service for free?
Prior to digging, the utility should be contacted to locate any buried services. This service is provided at no charge to the customer. Click here to learn more.
