On April 1st, 2025, the municipality assumed control of the Millbrook Drinking Water System, taking the responsibility from the City of Peterborough.
Since that time, the municipality handles regulatory requirements, operational and maintenance issues for the local drinking water system. The decision to bring these responsibilities in house was taken after research indicated that managing this system with municipal staff could generate more than $500K in net savings over the five year period from 2025 to 2029.
Drinking water systems are regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Conservation and Parks (MECP) which enforces the production and delivery of safe, drinkable water to consumers under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 2002. The township is now the Operating Authority, and is required to maintain a Municipal Drinking Water License (MDWL)to prepare an Operational Plan compliant with the current Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS).
The operational plan must be submitted to an annual management review to ensure the plan is suitable, effective and is able to deliver the volume of safe drinking water required by the users.
At the October 5th Council meeting, the management review was presented by Clinton Hiltz, Water Wastewater Compliance Coordinator and Wayne Hancock, Director of Public Works. Their report concluded that raw and treated water quantity and quality have been good and stable throughout the year with no adverse drinking water quality results observed. MECP conducted their annual Drinking Water System Inspection on January 22nd, 2026. The inspection found the Millbrook Drinking Water System to be in full compliance, attaining a final inspection rating of 100%. It also noted the completion of all risk assessments, testing and infrastructure reviews.
Also discussed in the report was the Dufferin Street Watermain break which occurred last fall, triggering a Boil Water Order lasting several days. Despite this breakdown, all samples taken during the period were shown to be clean/safe, and water services were restored to Millbrook within three days of the event.
An Internal Audit conducted in August highlighted some changes to the operational plan which have been made to meet the External Audit which was scheduled to take place last week. The review highlighted that an update of some internal policies are required to ensure they reflect the Township’s transition to the Operating Authority.