Water & Sewer Operations FAQ

Door-to-door sales people do not represent Clearview Township. If someone approaches you to do a free drinking water test, keep in mind that this could be a tactic to sell a water purification device. While selling water treatment devices is not a crime, improper testing of drinking water can be.
 
The Clearview Township Water & Sewer department takes thousands of samples every year. In some instances, Township employees may ask to enter your home to take water samples. Water & Sewer department staff is trained to properly collect water samples and will properly transfer samples for testing to the Ministry accredited and licenced laboratory. If there are any problems with the water the Township will inform the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, the Ministry of the Environment and affected customers right away.

Flushing occurs twice annually. Clearview Township will be cleaning and flushing the water main in designated areas. What you will see are Water Operations staff operating and monitoring hydrants and running water to clean up the inside of the water main. If customers notice their water is discoloured we suggest running the cold water tap (preferably a laundry tub or bath tub tap with no screen) for approximately 5 - 10 minutes to clear any discolouration. Notices of specific dates will be posted on the Township website prior to flushing. Also, advertisements will be posted in the local newspapers.
 
Customers in the area being cleaned are cautioned to refrain from drawing any water for any purpose until the cleaning of that section of water main is completed to avoid drawing discoloured water into their plumbing. Please refrain from running any water in your building for any reason during the times specified on the notice. Please refrain from flushing toilets or turning on any taps.
 
Suggestions:

Put water softeners on bypass to prevent recycling during the process and avoid excessive amounts of iron or manganese through the media filter. Leave off for several hours after the prescribed outage.

When water is restored run a cold water tap in the laundry tub or bath tub for 5 – 10 minutes to clear the water service from the street into your building.

If customers notice their water discoloured we suggest running the cold-water tap (preferably a laundry tub or bath tub tap with no screen) for approximately 5 - 10 minutes to clear any discolouration.

An appointment can be booked for an operator to attend your house and shut the water off. Please contact the Water & Sewer Operations to make an appointment. If it is an after-hours emergency please call the after-hours number located at the very bottom of this webpage.
 
If you need your water service turned on or off for any reason a $25.00 service charge applies for each visit during regular working hours. A $75.00 service charge applies for each visit after regular working hours. Only Clearview Township Water Operations staff are authorized to turn services on and off at the property line.
 
Tip: If you are going away for the winter, it would be a good idea to call and get your water services turned off.

Water Operations can have staff locate and mark your water service within 5 business days. Water locates are a free service that we offer to everyone. To obtain a locate please visit www.on1call.com.

All water meters are the property of the Clearview Township. Users are responsible for all costs associated with repairs due to neglect (i.e. freezing, vandalism or misuse).

Water meters are replaced when:

• Meters have slowed or stopped 
• Meters are damaged 
• Obsolete meters

Water Operations strictly follows the regulations established by the Ministry of the Environment for water sampling in order to guarantee safe water of good quality for our consumers.

Installation of a Hydrant Metered Gate Valve is dependent upon their availability. With a HMGV installed, contractors are able to use the hydrant since the device measures the amount of water used and provides a backflow preventer to avoid creating a cross connection. In order to obtain a HMGV, please follow the process below:
 
To obtain a HMGV, please contact the Water Operations at the Public Works Building. You will be required to complete a form and provide a deposit. After completion of the confirmation process, an operator will install a HMGV.
 

Sewer Operations can have staff locate and mark your sewer service within 5 business days. Sewer locates are a free service that we offer to everyone. To obtain a locate please visit: www.on1call.com.

If you have water coming back up your drains (i.e. floor drain in your basement or water is not draining from all of your fixtures), you may have a blocked drain. Our crews can determine whether the blockage is in the main or in the homeowners sewer lateral. If the blockage is in the main that runs down the middle of the street, the City is responsible for clearing it. The homeowner is responsible for the sewer line (lateral) from the house to the property line. The homeowner is urged to call a plumber to perform the work if it is the homeowner’s responsibility.
 
To avoid risk to you, your employees and others, before cleaning a blocked sewer service line beyond the outside wall of your building, please visit the Enbridge Gas Distribution website for helpful information: Enbridge Gas Website