Service Disruptions

Have you ever heard  'watermain break' and wondered what it meant? Essentially, a watermain is a pipe that carries clean water from a treatment plant to your home or business. When that pipe breaks, it can cause a disruption to your water supply, and that's what we call a watermain break. 

Why do they break?

Watermain breaks can occur for a variety of reasons. Changes in temperature can cause the ground to shift, which can put pressure on the pipes and cause them to break. Similarly, changes in water pressure can cause stress on the pipes and lead to a break. Aging infrastructure can also play a role - as pipes get older, they become more susceptible to cracks and breaks.

Qualified Water Operators support our daily routines 

Our team is prepared to quickly respond to watermain breaks and restore your water supply as soon as possible. Plus, we work proactively to prevent breaks from happening in the first place through regular maintenance and inspections. If you ever experience a watermain break, know that we're on the case to get things flowing smoothly again! 

When the watermain break is repaired, here's what to do: 

If you've experienced a watermain break in your area and have been given the green light that all is repaired - here are some steps you can take.

• Help us flush the system - run your taps: turn your cold water taps on for several minutes to help us 'flush the pipes'. This helps us push water through the distribution system.  

If you have concerns or questions, we're here to help. 

Email us at publicworks@muskoka.on.ca or call us at 705-645-2100

Residents can use any municipal public drinking water tap in Muskoka. There are taps located in each area municipality and can be found at the link below.

Public Drinking Water Tap Locations

• Store one gallon of water per person per day for 3 days
• As long as municipal tap water is stored in a clean, airtight container and in a cool location, the water should remain safe indefinitely
• As a general rule it is recommended to change the emergency water supply at least once every six months

By downloading the Voyent Alert! app and registering, residents and visitors can select to receive notifications from a wide variety of communication channels including mobile apps, text/SMS alerting, email or voice calling.  The system will also allow you to create and track multiple locations such as “Kids School”, “Work”, “Cottage” or “Mom’s House”.   Any event or communication related to your tracked locations will be forwarded to you along your preferred communication channel(s).   Smart alerting capabilities ensure that you will only get notified when a communication is relevant to you or one of the locations you are tracking. More information on our AlertMuskoka page.

If there's an emergency, you will need to know this information ahead of time. You can't afford to waste precious time searching while the basement floods or the carpets are drenched.

Most common locations for the master valve are where the main water pipe enters your home, near the washing machine hook-up or near your water heater. Best to check and make certain you and your family know where it is!

• Insulate your outside water pipes with specially designed foam pipe covers or heating tape available from most hardware stores
• Heat your crawl space
• Open cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate
• In extreme cold weather consider leaving a tap open enough to allow a stream of water to flow
• Know where your main shut off is located in case of an emergency

 
Leaving for the winter?  

• If you are on municipal services, consider having your service shut off at the street and your lines drained
• If you are on privates services, arrange for a plumber to winterize your dwelling
• Keep your thermostat set at 15 degrees Celsius or higher

Pipes Already Frozen? 

• If you suspect your pipes are frozen, try using a hair dryer directed where your line enters the home - never use an open flame or torch
• Call a plumber, it may take a professional to determine where it is frozen and a thawing machine may be needed
• Once it is thawed, leave a tap running

Municipal Services Frozen? 

• A plumber can determine if the line is frozen on the municipal side and notify the District of Muskoka Water and Wastewater field staff
• 24/7 contact information is available - see below