Watermain cleaning program Frequently Asked Questions

The Town uses a number of methods to inform customers of planned cleaning/swabbing areas: 

• Hand-delivery of notices to each affected residence at least 24/48 hours in advance
  

• Notices in The Era (Town Page)

• Information posted on the Town's website​ and on social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook

• Mobile electronic signboards in the neighbourhood​​​ that is undergoing maintenance that day
  

Before the scheduled operation begins, you should:

• It is recommended that you turn off your water valve, located next to the water meter to prevent water use during this time

• Fill a clean container with tap water for drinking and cooking (store in fridge)

• Complete all dishwashing, clothes washing and other water-use activities

• Fill your bathtub with water for use around the house (you may use a pail to transfer water from the bathtub to your toilet bowl to allow your toilet to flush)
  

• Avoid using water for any purpose
  

• Run the cold, hard (unsoften) water tap closest to your water meter (usually located in the basement) until the water is clear.  Or, if your garden hose does not go through your softener, you can irrigate your lawn or garden until the water is clear. 

• If the water remains discoloured please repeat until the water runs clear. If your remains discoloured, please contact the Town of Newmarket for assistance at 905-895-5193.

• If you experience lower-than-normal water pressure after the maintenance is complete, please verify if it is at just one tap, or throughout your home.  If it appears to be at one location only, try removing and cleaning the aerator (screen) at the tap and run the water until it clears. 

• If you experience lower-than-normal water pressure or no water after the cleaning is complete, please call the Town at 905-895-5193.​
  

Once the normal water clarity has returned, all normal uses can be resumed, including drinking the water.  ​

At times, water can have an unpleasant odour, taste, or appearance.  These asthetic charachteristics usually do not pose a public health threat and, in most cases, they do not last long.  However, a sudden change in colour, taste or odour of your tap water could indicate changing water characteristics, if you notice taste and odour persists, please contact the Town of Newmarket at 905-895-5193.​

The red/brown coloured water is from iron that has built up in the watermain. When conducting watermain swabbing and flushing programs, the iron is removed and as a result you may notice discoloured water flow into the catch basin and into the stream.​

Prior to the water flowing into the catch basin and stream, any chlorine residual is removed. While aesthetically unpleasing, the discoloured water presents no harmful effects to the wildlife in the streams. ​

Generally, multiple streets identified will be completed within the scheduled day. Work is typically completed within 8 to 10 hours and includes set-up and removal of the equipment. ​

In order to ensure the highest quality of water for our community, Newmarket water and wastewater staff routinely performs watermain spring-cleaning programs to do a thorough cleaning of the watermains as part of proactive routine maintenance and best practices.

Some areas of the Town's water distribution system will need to be cleaned more frequently depending on the water age and how fast the water is travelling through the watermains. When water is moving slower through the watermains, there is a higher potential of iron and sediment build-up, therefore a thorough water main swabbing technique is required to clean the watermain. ​