Most of the residents from the former Town of Leamington and the former Town of Mersea, receive their water supply from the Union Water treatment plant, and consume about 61% of all water that the Union Water treatment plant produces.

Key statistics related to your water supply...
- The Town’s water distribution system spans about 320 km’s of water mains
- Approximately 9,600 residential and commercial customers are served by the Town’s water supply.
- Residential and commercial users in the Municipality of Leamington consumed nearly 10.6 million cubic meters of water in 2004
- 879 fire hydrants are located within the municipal boundaries.

The Leamington Water Services Department
Gary Foisy, Water Superintendent and Nelson Carvalho, Water Supervisor leads the provincially licensed Water Department in providing a variety of services to consumers within the municipal boundaries. Services of the water department include:

- Operation, repair and maintenance of the Town’s water distribution system, including emergency repairs.
- Repairs to and replacement of all water meters
- Repairs to and installation of new water services and water main projects.
- Flushing in excess of 879 fire hydrants and dead end water mains within the system.
- Resolution of customer complaints regarding water billings.

Water Billings
Essex Power Services is contracted by the municipality to read water meters and to issue billings for water consumption, sanitary sewer charges and turning on or off of water services. For some residents of the Municipality of Leamington, the billings received by Essex Power Services also include charges for hydro electric services.

Questions related to water billings should be directed to Essex Power Services by calling (519) 776-8900.

Union Water Supply System – Disinfection of Drinking Water Using Chloramination
In February of 2004, Union Water Supply System, from which the Municipality of Leamington receives it’s water supply, changed it’s disinfection process from chlorination or the adding of chlorine, to chloramination, the process of adding chlorine and ammonia. The change in disinfection technique was implemented to counteract the adverse sampling results and boil water advisories which had occurred in past years.

Chloramines kill bacteria by bonding with and oxidizing the organic compound of which bacteria are made. Additionally, they last longer than chlorine which is an important factor in a water distribution system that is as large as the Union Water system.

FAQ – Is chloraminated water safe?
The answer is yes, for most normal users of municipal water, including drinking, bathing, cooking, laundry and watering plants. Exceptions regarding the safety of chloraminated water must be noted for kidney dialysis patients and Aquarium and Process Equipment owners. Please refer to the brochure entitled “Water Treatment and Disinfection using Chloramination” for further details concerning these exceptions and answers to other frequently asked questions.