The North Bay-Mattawa Source Protection Committee has been undertaking a detailed review of the Source Protection Plan and Assessment Report for the North Bay-Mattawa Source Protection Area.

The attached letter serves as a notice that draft proposed Source Protection Plan updates are now being circulated to the Village of South River for your review and comment.

Notice of Public Consultation 2026

Source Protection Plan: Policy Updates

Comments may be submitted to the Source Protection Committee by email at dwsp@nbmca.ca or to the Conservation Authority mailing address below by end of day on March 1, 2026.

Copies of the draft proposed versions of the Source Protection Plan and Assessment Report are available for download at: https://nbmca.ca/watershed-management/drinking-water-source-protection/

 

 

Click on the following links to read the DRINKING WATER ADVISORY PUBLIC NOTICE and THE FACTS ON SODIUM IN DRINKING WATER.

The Village of South River has a municipal drinking water system. 

General Facts:

• The average consumption in Ontario is 13.5 m³ per person in a two month period.
• There is a naturally high iron content in the local water table. The South River was historically referred to as the “red river”. Other communities face similar challenges with high iron content in their water which can cause a discolouration.
• Residents and businesses are responsible for their service line from the curb stop, the policy is available here.

Administration:

• The water budget must be revenue neutral. The Village of South River Water Department’s revenues (money made) and expenses (cost) must be neutral (equal). This means the revenue has to equal the expense which creates a balanced budget ($0.00). Therefore, any capital improvement costs would be added to the user’s water bills.
• More focus will be applied to water accounts with arrears. Appropriate notices will be sent to property owners with delinquent accounts and properties will be disconnected at the curb if payment is not received in time.
• By-law #5-2014 enables the Village to transfer water arrears to the corresponding tax account. Properties listed for tax sales often include water arrears contributing to the overall amount of debt.
• The estimated current cost of replacing 1 meter of water main and restoring the road to a satisfactory level is $550/meter.

Maintenance:

• OCWA (Ontario Clean Water Agency) is contracted to operate the water treatment plant and municipal staff maintain the distribution system.
• The South River water distribution system meets all legislated requirements and is safe for consumption. Water samples are taken at the plant and various locations throughout the community regularly. Test results are available for viewing in the public binder at the municipal office.
• Annual internal and external audits of the water system are conducted by an outside third party.
• Lead testing is done according to provincial regulations and frequency. Lead testing in our community has been found to contain less than .001 mg/L
• The water distribution system is flushed annually as part of regular ongoing maintenance.

 

 Billing:

• Water bills are processed every two months with payments due monthly.
• Consumption information is displayed on each water bill
• Payment can be made by cash, cheque or debit at the municipal office, by E-Transfer or online with Kawartha Credit Union, TD, Scotiabank and RBC.
• If you receive a leak notice in your bill that indicates your water meter has been running for a minimum of two consecutive hours. Leak notices are provided as a courtesy to customers only. No further information is available from your water meter to indicate where a possible leak may be occurring. It is up to the private property owner to inspect their own plumbing.
• A minimum of 5 business days is required to request a final reading. A final reading may be required for the sale of a property or for tenants to receive the bill for a rental property. There is a fee for a final reading.
• Landlords and tenants may request to have the water bill mailed to the tenant. An agreement must be signed by the property owner and the tenant. There is a fee to have the necessary final reading and to have the bill redirected to a tenant. Please inquire at the municipal office for more information.

• Pay your bill on time.  By-law 5-2014 allows the Village to shut off the water supply upon default of payment.  Arrears notices are sent to customers when applicable.  In the event a water service is disconnected, there will be a fee of $69.52 for each occurrence when the water is shut off and again when reconnecting the service after payment is received.  A deposit will also be required.

See the 2026 Water Rates Schedule A & Schedule B

You can view your Water bill online. www.eservices.southriver.ca If you haven't registered yet the instructions are on the back of your paper water bill.

Household Tips:

• Pay attention to a leak alert if you receive one in your bill.
• Clean your hot water tank regularly. 
• Carefully observe the consumption displayed on your bill and practice ways to reduce your consumption by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, leaving a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of letting the tap run to get cold water, wash only full loads of laundry and dishes, wash your vehicle with a bucket of water instead of letting the hose run, collect rain water to use on your garden, install low or dual flush toilets and water saver shower heads, fix leaky plumbing, take shorter showers, use landscaping materials that don’t require water (i.e. rock, mulch, etc.).
• How much is a cubic meter (m³) of water? 1000 litres = 1 m³. (That’s Approximately 4½ sixty gallon hot water tanks or approximately 6½ forty gallon hot water tanks.)

If you have a complaint about municipal water, please submit a Water Complaint Form

For information about frozen water lines, read the full Guide to Frozen Water Services

For more information about municipal water, please see By-law #5-2014 and the accompanying  2026 Water Rates Schedule A & Schedule B 

Click to view the                                        and here for the 2025 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to view the 2024 Annual Water Report and here for the 2024 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to View the 2023 Annual Water Report and here for the 2023 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to View the 2022 Annual Water Report and here for the 2022 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to view the 2021 Annual Water Report and here for the 2021 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to view the 2020 Annual Water Report and here for the 2020 Annual Drinking Water Inspection Report

Click to view the 2019 Annual Water Report

Click to view the 2018 Annual Water Report

Click to view the 2017 Annual Water Report

These links are for the 2016 Annual/Summary Water Report, 2015 Annual Water Report or the 2015 South River Water Summary Report

To learn how to help protect Source  Drinking Water click here

Drinking Water Advisory Public Notice

The Village of South River water contains high levels of sodium and while this does not pose a health threat to most individuals, it could pose a problem for those on reduced sodium diets who consume this water on a regular basis.

Boil Water Advisory Notice Commonly Asked Questions

If we are currently advising a BWA (Boiled Water Advisory), you can see commonly asked questions Here