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Toronto Water at a Glance

Toronto Water is made up of six sections:

  • Water Treatment & Supply
  • Wastewater Treatment
  • District Operations
  • Water Infrastructure Management
  • Operational Support
  • Business Operations Management

Looking for quick information about Toronto Water on-the job, its many assets (plants, sewers, etc.) and how they operate? Start here.

Toronto Water statistics

  • 1,546 full-time employees

Water Treatment and Supply

  • 4 water treatment plants: R.C. Harris, F.J. Horgan, R.L. Clark, Island
  • 18 water pumping stations
  • 102 pumps
  • 510 kilometres of trunk watermains
  • 470,202 water service connections
  • 10 underground storage reservoirs
  • 4 elevated storage tanks
  • 5,015 km of distribution water mains – if laid end-to-end, would cover the entire distance from Newfoundland to British Columbia, with pipes to spare!
  • 40,460 water hydrants
  • 52,900 valves

Wastewater Treatment

Stormwater Management

  • 1,301 km of combined and 4,305 km of storm sewers
  • 463,300 km sewer service connections
  • 5 wastewater storage/detention tanks
  • 88 stormwater management facilities
  • 2,300 outfalls
  • 122,500 catch basins
  • 120,000 maintenance holes
  • 546 km of roadside ditches
  • 371 km of watercourses

Usage, rates and infrastructure

  • 2010 water usage:
    • Toronto - 393,591 ML
    • York Region - 80,398 ML
    • Total - 473,989 ML
      • F.J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant: 101,593 ML
      • R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant: 172,371 ML
      • Island Water Treatment Plant:  70,660 ML
      • R.L. Clark Water Treatment Plant: 129,365 ML
  • Average daily water demand is approximately: 1,194ML/day… more than enough to fill the Roger’s Centre!
  • The maximum daily demand in 2010 was 1,769 ML and occurred on July 7, 2010
  • 2010 Wastewater Treated: 423,872 ML. 
    •  Ashbridges Bay = 217,650 ML (51.3% of total)
    • Humber = 132,289 ML (31.2%)
    • Highland Creek = 60,720 (14.3%)
    • North Toronto = 13,213 ML (3.1%)
  • Residential water usage accounts for approximately 51% of water used in City
  • Toilets are the #1 indoor water users – they account for 28% of total indoor water use (100 litres of water/day).
  • 438 billion litres of wastewater (sewage) is treated each year
  • The annual estimated cost of water, for the average Toronto household using 300 cubic metres in 2011 is $674 per year ($1.85 per day). This rate includes costs for all water services including drinking water, wastewater and stormwater treatment. 
  • Toronto has one of the lowest water rates in the GTA.
  • The average age of the City's watermain pipes is 54 years old.
  • Approximately 17 per cent are 80 to 100 years old and 6.5 per cent of the watermains are more than 100 years old.
  • There are approximately 1,500 watermain breaks per year.
  • The average age of the sewer pipes is 48 years old.
  • Approximately 7 per cent are 80 to 100 years old and 4 per cent are more than 100 years old.

Customer Profile (Residential and Industrial, Commercial & Institutional)

  • Total accounts: 474,000
  • Flat rate 59,000 (originally 72,000 before the water meter program,  approx 13,000 have been installed since program inception)
  • Metered: 415,000

In 2010, the Toronto Water Meter Program was launched. The program will replace or install new automated meters in every home and business in the city by the end of 2015.

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