The City of Barrie's annual watermain maintenance will take place in select areas throughout the month of July in order to properly maintain the water system.
Swabbing the watermains involves using foam swabs propelled by high-velocity water to scour the pipes. They're inserted through a fire hydrant are pushed through to another hydrant further down the watermain. The hydrants are left open until the water runs clear.
This process will be happening in select areas of Wards six, eight, and 10 throuhout July, with water services being affected during the specified times.
Here are dates and times for maintenance and the selected areas.
- July 3, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Areas of Coleman Drive, Gross Drive, Lowry Court, Pringle Drive, Ruffet Drive
- July 8, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Areas of Bay Lane, Brennan Avenue, Cliff Road, Kempview Lane, Southview Road, Wallwin’s Way, White Oaks Road, Whitty Lane
- July 10, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Areas of Bayshore Boulevard, Brookfield Crescent, Capps Drive, Crimson Ridge Road, Golden Meadow Road, Royal Park Boulevard, Turner Drive
- July 22, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Areas of Bird Street, Edgehill Drive, Gross Drive, Knupp Road, Kraus Road, McAvoy Drive, Miller Drive, Sproule Drive
- July 24, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Areas of Dock Road, Gray Lane, Hurst Drive, Jean Street, Tyndale Road, Tynhead Road
NOTIFICATION
Residences will have notices hand-delivered to their property if they will impacted. If a notice is received, not water should be used at that residence during the times specified.
Residents can turn their home water meter off to prevent any water use in the home.
If there are changes to the schedule, updated notices will be delivered to the doors of impacted properties.
UPON COMPLETION
Follow these guidelines once watermain swabbing is completed:
- Run cold water for a few minutes
Let cold water run from a tap for a few minutes. Do not choose a tap that has a water filter connected to it, or the sediment may clog your filter. Using a hot water tap can also draw sediments into your hot water tank.
- Check for clarity
Collect some water in a light-coloured cup or container to see if it is clear. It could be cloudy because air captured in the water forms tiny bubbles, which are harmless and will disappear if the water sits for a few minutes. The water should be safe to use if it is clear. If the water does not clear in 5 minutes, wait 30 minutes and try again.
There may be some water discolouration for short periods following outages. If water is still discoloured after two to three hours, the city is advising residents to call the Water Operations Branch where staff will be monitoring the watermains throughout the process.
