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Document ID ca-on-toronto-tawato-null Title Tap Water in Toronto URL https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/tap-water-in-toronto/ Jurisdiction /ca/on/toronto Subdomain(s) none Language Status completed Analyzed at 2026-05-12 01:51:37.141697+00:00 Relevance inventory_targeted_fetch

23 Qualitative 16 Quantitative 12 Definitions

Q Qualitative Requirements (23)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#Q001	operational	health	mandatory	General Drinking Water Mandate	drinking water	The City of Toronto ensures that residents, businesses and visitors have access to clean, safe drinking water.		high
#Q002	monitoring	health	mandatory	Bacteriological Quality Testing	drinking water	Toronto Water’s accredited and licensed lab: tests drinking water samples collected every six hours at the water treatment plants for bacteriological quality (almost 6,000 times a year)	every six hours at the water treatment plants	high
#Q003	monitoring	health	mandatory	Annual Treatment Plant Testing Volume	drinking water	Toronto Water’s accredited and licensed lab: conducts more than 20,000 tests at the water treatment plants annually	annually at the water treatment plants	high
#Q004	monitoring	health	mandatory	Annual Distribution System Testing Volume	drinking water	Toronto Water’s accredited and licensed lab: conducts more than 15,000 tests on samples collected from the water distribution system annually	annually from the water distribution system	high
#Q005	monitoring	operational	mandatory	Infrastructure Monitoring Duty	drinking water	Staff monitor: four water treatment plants, 18 pumping stations, 11 underground reservoirs, four elevated storage tanks, more than 5,000 km of watermains		high
#Q006	corrective_action	aesthetic	guidance	Cloudy Water Corrective Action - Faucet	drinking water	To reduce the cloudy appearance: run a cold water tap to allow the air to escape	When water looks cloudy	high
#Q007	corrective_action	aesthetic	guidance	Cloudy Water Corrective Action - Glass	drinking water	To reduce the cloudy appearance: pour some cold water into a glass. The air bubbles will rise to the surface and clear up within a few minutes.	When water looks cloudy	high
#Q008	reporting	aesthetic	recommended	Persistent Cloudiness Reporting	drinking water	If the water is still cloudy or sediment appears, please contact 311 to initiate a water quality service request.	If the water is still cloudy or sediment appears	high
#Q009	treatment	aesthetic	guidance	Chlorine Taste and Odour Mitigation	drinking water	If you are sensitive to chlorine taste and odours, fill a pitcher with water and let it stand overnight in the refrigerator or add ice and a slice of lemon, lime or fruit to the water.	If you are sensitive to chlorine taste and odours	high
#Q010	corrective_action	operational	guidance	Single Tap Discolouration Action	drinking water	If only one tap is affected, this indicates a private plumbing issue. You may wish to contact a plumber.	If only one tap is affected with discoloured or rusty tap water	high
#Q011	treatment	aesthetic	guidance	Earthy or Musty Smell/Taste Mitigation	drinking water	If you are sensitive to the smell or taste, you can fill a pitcher with water and let it stand overnight in the refrigerator or add ice and a slice of lemon, lime or other fruit to your water.	If you are sensitive to the smell or taste	high
#Q012	corrective_action	aesthetic	guidance	Mineral Deposit Removal	drinking water	If mineral deposits build up on fixtures, they can be removed using vinegar or a commercial hardness remover.	If mineral deposits build up on fixtures	high
#Q013	monitoring	health	mandatory	Chlorine Level Monitoring	drinking water	The range of chlorine used is set by the MECP (and is continuously monitored by the City to ensure the water is safe to drink).		high
#Q014	operational	operational	mandatory	Pressure Zone Monitoring and Adjustment	drinking water	Toronto is split into six pressure zones and subdivided into 13 pressure districts, which are continuously monitored and adjusted based on demand.	based on demand	high
#Q015	reporting	reporting	mandatory	MECP Water Quality Reporting	drinking water	drinking water quality and system reports submitted to the MECP regarding the operations, capital and operating budgets of the drinking water system		high
#Q016	treatment	health	mandatory	Screening and Initial Disinfection	drinking water	Lake water passes through screens to remove large debris. Water is disinfected by using either chlorine or ozone.		high
#Q017	treatment	health	mandatory	Coagulation and Flocculation	drinking water	Alum or poly-aluminum chloride is added to the water to bring particles in the water together and form larger particles called floc.		high
#Q018	treatment	health	mandatory	Granular Media Filtration	drinking water	The clear water at the top proceeds to filters containing gravel, sand and carbon to remove suspended impurities and microorganisms.		high
#Q019	treatment	health	mandatory	Post-Treatment Additive Requirements	drinking water	Before water is pumped for distribution to homes and businesses, the following is added: chlorine to destroy bacteria and viruses; fluoride to help prevent tooth decay; ammonia to ensure chlorine levels remain present as water travels through the distribution system; phosphoric acid, which is used for corrosion control to help create a barrier between residential lead pipes and drinking water	Before water is pumped for distribution	high
#Q020	design	operational	mandatory	Raw Water Intake Design	drinking water	Water is collected from Lake Ontario through intake pipes deep below the lake surface between one and five kilometres away from shore.		high
#Q021	treatment	health	mandatory	Sedimentation Treatment Process	drinking water	The water travels through settling basins to allow larger particles to settle to the bottom.		high
#Q022	operational	operational	mandatory	Automated Process Control Oversight	drinking water	To ensure an uninterrupted water supply, there is a computerized process control system overseen by Toronto Water staff.		high
#Q023	operational	operational	mandatory	Emergency and Peak Demand Water Storage	drinking water	Additional water is stored in tanks and reservoirs, which helps maintain pressure and enough supply during peak periods and emergencies, such as fires, watermain breaks and power outages.		high

P Quantitative Requirements (16)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Limit Type	Limit Value	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#R001	operational	treatment	mandatory	Bacteriological Quality Testing Frequency	drinking water	requirement	6 hours	Water samples collected at treatment plants for bacteriological quality testing	Testing performed almost 6,000 times a year	high
#R002	operational	operational	mandatory	Water Treatment Plant Operational Schedule	drinking water	requirement	24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Operational status for the four water treatment plants	Applies to daily treatment of more than one billion litres	high
#R003	physical	unknown	guidance	Microplastic Particle Size Classification	drinking water	requirement	< 5 mm	Size threshold for plastic particles to be categorized as microplastics		high
#R004	operational	treatment	mandatory	Microplastic Filtration Particle Size	drinking water	treatment_goal	1 to 2 micron	Size of microplastic particles the multi-barrier treatment system is capable of removing	Uses chemically-assisted filtration (coagulation, flocculation, and granular media filtration)	high
#R005	operational	reporting	mandatory	Annual Water Treatment Plant Testing Volume	drinking water	requirement	> 20000 tests/year	Volume of tests conducted at water treatment plants annually	Tests performed at Toronto Water’s accredited and licensed lab	high
#R006	operational	reporting	mandatory	Annual Distribution System Testing Volume	drinking water	requirement	> 15000 tests/year	Tests on samples collected from the water distribution system annually	Conducted by Toronto Water’s accredited and licensed lab	high
#R007	operational	operational	mandatory	Daily Drinking Water Treatment Capacity	drinking water	requirement	> 1000000000 litres/day	Volume of safe drinking water treated by the City each day	Processed at four water treatment plants operating 24/7	high
#R008	design	treatment	mandatory	Lake Ontario Intake Pipe Distance	drinking water	requirement	1 to 5 km	Distance of intake pipes from shore deep below the lake surface	Used to collect lake water for treatment	high
#R009	design	operational	mandatory	Watermain Network Length	drinking water	requirement	> 5000 km	Extent of watermains in the distribution system monitored by staff	Part of supply, storage and distribution oversight	high
#R010	operational	treatment	mandatory	Annual Bacteriological Testing Frequency	drinking water	requirement	~ 6000 tests/year	Drinking water samples collected at treatment plants for bacteriological quality	Samples collected every six hours	high
#R011	design	operational	mandatory	Pumping Station Infrastructure Count	drinking water	requirement	18 pumping stations	Infrastructure monitored by Toronto Water staff via computerized process control system		high
#R012	design	operational	mandatory	Underground Reservoir Infrastructure Count	drinking water	requirement	11 underground reservoirs	Infrastructure monitored by Toronto Water staff via computerized process control system		high
#R013	design	operational	mandatory	Elevated Storage Tank Infrastructure Count	drinking water	requirement	4 elevated storage tanks	Infrastructure monitored by Toronto Water staff via computerized process control system		high
#R014	design	operational	mandatory	Distribution Pressure Zone Count	drinking water	requirement	6 pressure zones	Division of Toronto to ensure adequate water pressure and supply	Continuously monitored and adjusted based on demand	high
#R015	design	operational	mandatory	Distribution Pressure District Count	drinking water	requirement	13 pressure districts	Subdivision of pressure zones to ensure adequate water pressure and supply	Continuously monitored and adjusted based on demand	high
#R016	design	operational	mandatory	Water Treatment Plant Infrastructure Count	drinking water	requirement	4 water treatment plants	Infrastructure monitored by Toronto Water staff via computerized process control system		high

D Definitions (12)

Req ID	Name	Context	Confidence
#D001	CSR	Customer Service Request	high
#D002	MECP	Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks	high
#D003	floc	larger particles	high
#D004	valve	a device that regulates, directs and controls the flow of safe drinking water in watermains	high
#D005	microplastics	plastic particles under 5 millimetres (mm) in size	high
#D006	micron	equal to 0.001 mm	high
#D007	chemically-assisted filtration	involves the addition of a coagulant chemical, followed by rapid mixing (coagulation), gentle mixing (flocculation) and granular media filtration	high
#D008	granular media filtration	a process that removes suspended solids by passing water through a bed of granular material	high
#D009	water hardness	the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water	high
#D010	mm	millimetres	high
#D011	coagulation	rapid mixing	high
#D012	flocculation	gentle mixing	high