The Town is moving forward with an upgrade to the public water tap at Black River Road and Park Road, and the installation of a new water tap at the Sutton Arena.
“We understand the importance of having the public water taps in our community and the need some of our residents have for clean, potable water,” said Mayor Margaret Quirk. “By updating the water tap at Black River Road, we are making it safer and more accessible for everyone. The new tap at the Sutton Arena will also provide easy access for residents to use while the tap at Black River Road is undergoing upgrades.”
The Town closed three of its four public water taps in October 2021 due to concerns related to potential backflow and contamination from commercial users who are not allowed to use the taps. The one public tap at Black River and Park Road was left open for residential use. It was retrofitted with appropriate backflow prevention to protect the water system.
Work is underway to install a public water tap at the Sutton Arena and it will be completed in June. The tap will be located at the front of the building, south of the main doors. It will consist of two wall-mounted, tamper-proof taps at varying heights and use the existing service in the arena. A small overhead sign will be installed to show the tap location. Once the Sutton Arena site is open, the Black River Road site will be closed for upgrading. These upgrades include:
- New base structure that is maintainable
- New lighting and security cameras
- New tamper-proof taps, at varying heights
- North facing access only off Black River Road, reconstructed to provide protected, parallel, on-street parking, reduced speed limit
- Fencing or structure (budget dependent) creating defined space and wind-break
The Town is also reviewing the feasibility for a Keswick location. The Ice Palace is being considered as a location as it meets many design requirements given the existing infrastructure on-site (lighting, parking, security, maintainability and staffing). Should the Ice Palace not be feasible, the Boyers Road location could be upgraded to be reopened in the future.
Commercial users requiring larger volumes of water may purchase it at the Bulk Water Station located at the Environmental Services Yard on Civic Centre Road. For more information, visit georgina.ca/WaterandWastewater.