Township of Russell Drinking Water System - 2017

Township of Russell Drinking Water System - 2016

Township of Russell Drinking Water System - 2015

​Township of Russell Drinking Water System - 2014

​Township of Russell Drinking Water System - 2013

For water and sanitary sewer locates, please call On1Call at 1-800-400-2255.

Quality Management System Policy

The Township of Russell is committed to consistently provide a high level of service to consumers, to provide a safe, high quality and sufficient quantity of drinking water to consumers, to maintain and continually improve on the Drinking Water Quality Management System implemented at Public Utilities, and to comply with applicable legislation and regulations.

Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS)

The Operational Plan defines and documents the Quality Management System (QMS) for the Township of Russell. It sets out the policies and procedures with respect to quality management in accordance with the requirements of the Province of Ontario’s Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS).

If you have any questions regarding the Operational Plan or the Quality Management System (QMS) Procedures please contact the QMS Representative by email .

Operators are licensed to perform water quality analysis in conformance with Ontario regulations.

As per the Ontario Drinking Water Objectives (ODWO) and Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS), our water system complies and has received a Municipal Drinking water license (MDWL) and a Drinking Water Works Permit (DWWP).

Our water system is inspected by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) Cornwall district office annually. We currently meet all MOECC guidelines and procedures.

Environmental Compliance Report

A written report detailing compliance with all terms and conditions of the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) is completed annually and made available by March 31st of the following year.

The Compliance Report includes:

• A detailed description of the measures taken to ensure compliance with the ECA;
• In the event of any non-compliance, details of how any non-compliance was corrected;
• A summary of the quantity of water supplied compared to rated capacity and maximum daily flows;
• A summary of records related to flow rate exceedances and a summary of analytical results of sampling; and,
• A summary listing treatment chemicals used, including average dosage rates.

Copies of the Compliance Report are available for inspection at the Township of Russell municipal Town Hall located at 717 Notre-Dame and at 851 Route 400 in Embrun.

Your toilet might be leaking and you don’t even know it. To know if there is a leak follow these tips:

• Lift the lid off of the water tank, drop in some food colouring or brewed tea or instant coffee, and come back in 20 minutes. (Don’t flush the toilet while you are waiting). If colour appears in the toilet bowl it means that the rod-and-ball assembly or flapper needs adjustment or replacement.
• Take a reading before turning in for the night. Do not use water during the night and then take another reading in the morning before anyone uses water. The readings should be identical. This last suggestion could also be done during the day for a couple of hours, as it would be very difficult to do overnight for multiple units’ complex.

Should you have any further questions regarding your meter or leakage issues, please contact Mr. Ivan Clément, of the Public Utilities Department at 613-443-1747.

The station is located at 1647 Route 400 in the village of Embrun.

Only RV discharge is acceptable.

Ministry of the Environment
Drinking Water Regulations 
Ontario Water Objectives 
South Nation Conservation

Water efficiency   
Ontario Water Wastewater Certification Office
Training & Operator Licensing Regulations 
Eastern Ontario Health Unit

Water Conservation Tips

For E-Billing, see Payments

Flat Fees & Current Charges

The water and sewer billing cycle is made every three months: January, April, July and October. Your water meter is read on the 15th of the month prior to the billing.

• Water charges
• Water Users are charged this flat fee every billing cycle. It covers the administration and operational fees as well as the infrastructure debt for water treatment.
• Sewer charges
• Sewer Users are charged this flat fee every billing cycle. It covers the administration and operational fees as well as the infrastructures fees for sewer treatment.

The Variable Consumption Rate:

• Water Consumption charge - $2.700/M3
• This user fee is set by having a reading of your water meter, in square meter (M3) unit: the more water you use, the higher your water consumption charge will be.
• Water and Sewer list of charges

Does your invoice seem high?

There are a number of possible explanations for high consumption:

• A change in household (such as new tenants, new owners, more people, guests).
• A result of higher seasonal demands (such as increase in lawn watering, filling up a pool, etc).
• Installation of new appliances (such as a water-cooled air conditioner/equipment, dishwater, hot water tank, heating system, lawn sprinkling system).
• A leak in plumbing fixtures and/or pipes. (see How to check for leaks)

Moving?

In order for you to only pay for the water you use, we suggest that you contact town hall at least one (1) week prior to your move. A $50 final reading fee is applicable.

Have questions about your water bill? Call 613-443-3066 ext 2309 or email revenues@russell.ca

How to read your water meter

To access the information sheet on how to read your water meter, please click the following link. 
How to read your meter info-sheet

The drinking water system of the Township of Russell is comprised of 3 water towers and a reservoir. Water is pumped in from the city of Ottawa to the reservoir (1410m³) where it is re-chlorinated and stored. From there it is pumped out to the Embrun water tower (2270 m³) and Russell water tower (2159 m³). The Marionville water tower (1135 m³) draws water via a pumping station from the Russell network. All facilities are supported by emergency generators or UPS. This is to ensure that pressure and fire protection can be provided during power outages.

Limoges Water System

The water for the residents of the village of Limoges comes from the Nation Municipality water system. 613-443-2195.

The following websites offer well owners, contractors and technicians information about the legal requirements of wells, as well as other useful information regarding chlorination and sampling recommended by the Ministry of Health.

Ministry of the Environment

Eastern Ontario Health Unit

The Township of Russell will be testing fire hydrants as follows:

• Between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in the village of RUSSELL from May 1 to May 5^th.
• Between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. in the village of EMBRUN from May 8th to May 12th.

• The flushing of the MARIONVILLE hydrants will be performed at a later date this summer during daytime regular Township working hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

You may detect coloured water and loss in water pressure during the testing of a hydrant in your area. We recommend that you do not drink or wash laundry with coloured water. While it is not harmful to your health, it can stain laundry.

If you detect coloured water, turn on one cold water tap for a few minutes to flush the system as this is only temporary due to sedimentation in the watermain distribution system.

Reduced water pressure should only be intermittent as the hydrants are being tested; the pressure will return to normal once the flow test is complete.

This ongoing maintenance program is designed to ensure that our hydrants are ready should they be needed by the Fire Department. Testing ensures that hydrants are in full working order and verifies their flow capacities. This maintenance procedure is routine, but may result in temporary inconveniences mentioned above.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this project. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the Public Utilities office at (613) 443-1747 or by email.