Water Treatment Plant

Cochrane’s water is treated using a combination of clarifying and micro-filtering, multi-barrier disinfection using ultraviolet light and chlorine before it is distributed to local consumers.

Cochrane's water treatment plant has undergone two upgrades since opening to increase treatment capacity. The water treatment plant currently has the capacity to treat about 22 million litres per day. Treatment of Cochrane’s water uses a combination of clarifying, micro-filtering and multi-barrier disinfection using ultraviolet light and chlorine.

Are lead pipes used in Cochrane’s water system?

Cochrane’s water distribution system was developed in the 1950s, when the most common material used was copper. This does not mean all homes are free of lead. Lead solder may have been used inside your property line and individual homes. Some faucets pre-2010 could contain lead from the manufacturing process.

Service connections from the water main to your property line are Town-owned. The Town compression fits these connections and does not use solder joints.

Over the years, as the Town has inspected and replaced pipes. We have not found lead pipes. The Town’s water quality testing confirms that lead levels in our water supply are at <0.0003 mg/L (as of September  2023). This is well below Health Canada’s maximum acceptable limit of 0.005 mg/L.

If you have concerns or think you may have a lead issue in your home, arrange for sampling and testing by a private accredited licensed laboratory.

For more information, visit:

The Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation  

The Standards Council of Canada