Notice: Watermain swabbing scheduled for Coldwater now complete

Update to swabbing notice

The watermain swabbing scheduled in Coldwater from Monday, October 7 to Friday, October 12 has been completed as of Tuesday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m. Thank you to our community for your patience, and to our staff for their hard work to finish this project ahead of schedule to reduce the impact to our residents and businesses. 

Now that the work is completed, you should:

• run cold water through the tap closest to your water meter until the water is clear (don't use a tap with a filter system because the sediment may clog the filter)
• once the water is clear, turn on your water treatment devices, flush each tap to remove discoloured water, and flush toilets

Please contact us if you have poor water quality, no water or low water pressure in your home after the watermains have been swabbed.

To ensure the highest quality of water possible for our community the Township of Severn will be completing a watermain swabbing program in Coldwater starting Monday, October 7 through to Friday, October 11, 2024.

What is watermain swabbing?

Swabbing involves cleaning the watermain with a foam sponge (‘swab’) and high-pressure water. These swabs are injected at a hydrant and pushed along the watermain to be removed further down the main through another fire hydrant. The fast-moving water cleans pipes, and the hydrants are left open until the water runs clear. This helps to keep your water clean, fresh, and flowing freely. This work is best performed when water services are off to the mains being cleaned.

How to prepare

Before the watermain swabbing on your street begins, you should:

• fill a container with tap water for drinking and cooking and store it in your fridge
• complete dishwashing, clothes washing, and any activities that use water before the watermain swabbing is scheduled to start
• fill your bathtub with water for use around the house
• use a pail to transfer water to your toilet so you can flush your toilet
• turn off any water treatment systems, including water softeners, or shut off the main water supply using the shut-off valve located at your water meter.

How we'll contact you

Affected customers will receive a hand-delivered notice to their property from Severn’s Utilities department a minimum of one day before the swabbing occurs.

The cleaning will be completed as quickly as possible and will not continue outside of regular business hours (Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) unless necessary. 

During this cleaning, your water pressure will be significantly reduced. Customers are asked not to run any water from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the date of the scheduled cleaning. 

Some customers may be impacted more than once due to their property location. These customers will be notified by hand-delivered notice each time they will be impacted.

The red lines on the map below indicate the areas to be swabbed during the week of October 7 to 12. The blue service lines will not be swabbed at this time.

After the work is complete

After the work is complete and the water from your tap runs clear and is no longer discoloured, you can resume all regular activities, including drinking. Discoloured water in itself does not pose a health hazard, however, if the water does not clear up after running your tap for a few minutes please contact us.

For more information

Access more information and review answers to frequently asked questions on our Watermains page.

View the full notice of watermain swabbing

Staff contacts

Customer Care Assistant
Phone: 705-325-2315 x241
Email the Customer Care Assistant