(Barrie, ON) In order to properly maintain the water system, the City of Barrie cleans watermains by swabbing each year. Swabbing involves scouring the watermain with foam swabs and high-velocity water. These swabs go into a fire hydrant and are pushed by water through the watermain, then removed further down the watermain through another hydrant. The hydrants are left open until the water runs clear.
Watermain swabbing is happening in select areas of Ward 4 from late July to early September. Water services in these areas will be affected during the below dates and times (please note that areas, dates and times are subject to change):
- July 31, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Areas of Kozlov Street, Hanmer Street, Snelgrove Crescent, Forsyth Crescent, Lyfytt Crescent, Pearcey Crescent
- August 7, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Areas of Hanmer Street, Ford Street, Finlay Road, Simmons Crescent, Laidlaw Drive, Harrison Crescent, Morton Crescent
- August 12, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Areas of Janice Drive, Sinclair Court, Lillian Crescent, Craig Crescent, Wells Crescent
- August 21, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Areas of Livingstone Street West, Weatherup Crescent, Hook Court, Burke Drive, Shortreed Court
- September 4, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Areas of Anne Street North, Gordon Court, Livingstone Street West, Penton Drive, Neelands Street, Balliston Road, Etherington Crescent, Barwick Drive
Notices will be hand-delivered in advance to the doors of impacted properties. If you receive a notice, it’s advised that no water be used during the times specified on the notice. To prevent any water use in the home, residents can turn their home water meter off.
Residents and businesses may experience some water discolouration for short durations following outages. Follow these guidelines once watermain swabbing is completed:
- Turn on a cold water tap and let the water run for a few minutes. Do not choose a tap that has a water filter connected to it, or the sediment may clog your filter. Do not use a hot water tap because it could draw sediment into your hot water tank.
- Collect some water in a light-coloured cup or container to see if it is clear. The water may be cloudy because air captured in the water forms tiny bubbles. These bubbles are harmless and will disappear if the water sits for a few minutes. Proceed to use the water if it is clear. If the water does not clear in 5 minutes, wait 30 minutes and try again.
If water is still discoloured after two to three hours, call the Water Operations Branch at 705-792-7920. Water Operations staff will be monitoring the watermains throughout the process.
More information about water treatment, including maps of the areas that will be swabbed, can be found at barrie.ca/WaterTreatment.