 Where
does the water come from?
One of four City water treatment plants, the R.C. Harris takes raw
water from Lake Ontario, then cleans, disinfects and converts it
into safe potable/drinking water for pumping into the City’s
distribution system.
Fast
facts about the R.C. Harris
- Located at the foot of Victoria Park Ave.
- Constructed
in the 1930s
- Named for
Rowland Caldwell Harris, Commissioner of Works from 1912 to his
death in 1945
- Began operating on November 1, 1941
- Declared
a national historic civil engineering site in 1992
- Remains
Toronto’s largest water treatment facility
- Operates
24/7 in an environmentally responsible and cost-efficient manner
| 2007
Statistics |
| Water production |
168,000
million litres |
| Percentage
of total water produced |
33% |
| Number
of days operated |
365 days |
| Average
daily production |
453 million
litres |
| Maximum
daily production |
758 million
litres |
Part
of the east end community
Similar to Toronto Water’s other treatment plants, the R.C.
Harris is built along the shoreline of Lake Ontario and integrated
into the local neighborhood.
One way the
City and the neighborhood stay in touch is through the Public
Advisory Committee (PAC). Committee members play an important
role in the community and advise City staff on plant issues.
The City also
publishes a community newsletter called R.C.
Harris Times, featuring current and local topics related to
the plant. Public meetings on proposed changes to the site provide
other opportunities for the City to connect with community issues.
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