Water and Wastewater

Municipal water and wastewater is billed bi-monthly (January, March, May, July, September and November) and is based on base costs and usage.  The bill has two parts: one for base amounts and one for metered usage. Base (flat-rate) amounts cover the fixed costs of the system that are the same each month. Metered amounts vary each bill based on much much water is used.

 There are various methods in which to pay your Township of Southgate utility bill:

• In person or by mail to the Township office. If payment is sent through the mail, please allow sufficient mailing time to ensure that payment is received by the due date
• Cash, Cheque or Interac and cheques dated to the due date will be accepted and processed on the due date
• At the counter of all major financial institutions, or telephone or on-line banking. Please use your account number (8 digit number located at the top right of your utility bill) as your account number when making utility payments
• Pre-authorized payment withdrawals (either on a monthly basis or by installment due date). Click here to fill out the pre-authorized payment form: Pre-Authorized Payment Plan - Township of Southgate

The Township of Southgate By-law 2026-006 establishes water rates and sewage rates upon the owners or occupants of lands and premises connected to municipal water mains and sanitary sewers within the Township of Southgate. Please review the by-law in it's entirety for water and sewer rates. 

Water bills are maintained under the name of the property owner. If you are landlord and wish to have your tenant(s) added to your water account as a secondary contact, please contact relchuk@southgate.ca. 

Please note that effective October 1, 2025, the Township of Southgate will no longer be issuing final water/wastewater bills automatically, and users, or their representatives should be cognizant that the responsibility of the utility account balance resides with the current owner of the utility account associated with the property/roll, regardless of an ownership change. For further information, please click here. 

If you wish to register for pre-authorized payments, please fill out the following form: Pre-Authorized Payment Plan - Township of Southgate

If you have any questions about your bill, please contact our Finance Department at relchuk@southgate.ca.

Southgate is pleased to offer homeowners the convenience of receiving their utility bill via email. This will allow you to view, print, or save a copy of the invoice.  If you would like to enroll in this service, please complete the form below and forward to relchuk@southgate.ca , or contact our office.

https://Forms.Southgate.ca/E-Billing-Enrolment-Form

It is the homeowners responsibility to ensure that email filters (ex. junk, spam) allow mail to be received from noreply@ southgate.ca and to contact the Township of Southgate should the email change or to cancel the e-billing service.

All residents and businesses within the Town of Dundalk are equipped with water meters. Bi-monthly billing is sent out based on a flat fee as well as consumption. Always be sure to check for leaks in your home or business. 

The table below illustrates how a continuous leak, such as a running tap (sizes indicated) at 60 pounds per square inch over a three month (90 day) period, would waste water in the amounts shown. You may not think that 1/4" to 1/16” leak is significant; however this may change when you look at the total daily cost of this leak.

How to read your Water Metre

E-Coder Dial Face and Icons

The Township of Southgate has established a Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control Program to help ensure the supply of safe, clean drinking water to its users. For further information on the program please view the following: 

Backflow Prevention Program Information

Instructions For Backflow Prevention Letters

The Bulk Water Station in Dundalk is available for public use on a prepayment basis. It is located at 550 Main Street East in Dundalk right next to the Dundalk Arena & Community Centre. 

To get a bulk water account created for yourself or your business, please reach out to  relchuk@southgate.ca Please be sure to include your company name, mailing address, email address, phone number and a contact name within your email to expedite account setup. 

Excerpt from Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s 2008-09 Annual Report - Ministry of The Environment:

If a test of your tap water produces a brown substance is it safe to drink? Truth is, such tests are absolutely meaningless in terms of assessing water safety. Unfortunately, some door-to-door salespersons have been causing unnecessary concern as a way of luring Ontarians, especially seniors, into buying costly reverse osmosis treatment units.

How do the tests work? First, an electric current is used to activate naturally occurring minerals and make the water turn brown. Then, the treatment removes the minerals from the tap water, making the brown colour disappear. The test does not and cannot identify contamination that could cause illness.

“In Ontario, only fully accredited laboratories licensed to perform drinking water testing – not home-based testers – are authorized to perform health-based tests on drinking water,” said John Stager, Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector. “Our stringent standards for these labs make the province’s municipal tap water among the best protected in the world. Ontarians can have confidence that their tap water is safe to drink.”

Stager further recommends: “If you have been approached by someone offering to test your drinking water, I advise you to immediately contact your municipality, or your local health unit. They can answer any questions you may have. If a salesperson claims that your drinking water is unsafe or claims to be testing the safety of your drinking water, please contact the Ministry of the Environment immediately and we will follow up.”

To contact the Ministry of the Environment, call the Public Information Centre toll free at 1-800-565-4923, or 416-325-4000 in Toronto. If fraud is suspected, you may also contact your local police force or the Ministry of Consumer Services at 416-326-8800 in Toronto or 1-800-889-9768 toll-free.

For more information on Door to Door Water Testing contact the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services 

Grey Bruce Public Health Fluoride Fact Sheet -Please Click here

The Township of Southgate passed By-law number 07-2016, outlining the roles and responsibilities of property owners and the Township in cases where the water service line freezes between a building and the water main in the Town of Dundalk. Please review the By-law in its entirety and if you have any questions contact the Public Works Department. 

If you are a resident of Southgate that has a private well, please review the Private Well Water Manual provided by Grey Bruce Public Health. Water testing bottles provided by Grey Bruce Public Health are available to be picked up at the Township Office for private well owners to check if their water is safe. Please check the Grey Bruce Public Health website for further information. 

To view Grey Bruce Public Health sodium fact sheet, please use this link.

Source Water Protection - Fast Facts 

Source Water Protection - General Information

A copy of the DWQMS Operational Plan is available by request by emailing relchuk@southgate.ca. 

Below you will find the past year's annual water and wastewater reports. If you have any questions, or if you would like to view copies of previous annual reports, please contact the Water Operations Department at waterworks@southgate.ca.

Dundalk Waterworks 2025 Annual Report

Dundalk Wastewater Treatment Plant 2025 Annual Report

Below you will find the 2025 Annual Performance Reports for the Dundalk Sanitary Sewage Collection System and the Dundalk Stormwater Management System. If yo have any questions, or if you would like to view copies of previous reports, please contact the Water Operations Department at waterworks@southgate.ca 

Dundalk Sanitary Sewage Collection System 2025 Annual Performance Report

Dundalk Stormwater Management System 2025 Annual Performance Report

The Township of Southgate has completed a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) under Ontario's Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (March 2023, as amended) that was initiated to determine a cost effective sewage completion and treatment alternative for the Dundalk urban centre that will minimize environmental impacts and provide additional wastewater treatment capacity that provide for the economic, social and environmental well-being of its ratepayers now and in the future. The Notice of Study Completion and the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Environmental Study Report can be viewed at the below links. 

Notice of Study Completion

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment - Environmental Study Report

By-law Number: 12-2011

Summary: A by-law to provide for the regulation of the Municipal waterworks supply system in the Township of Southgate and for connected premises. 

By-law number: 2021-090

Summary: To provide for the regulation of the municipal sanitary and storm sewage systems in the Township of Southgate for the connected premises. 

The Dundalk Drinking Water Financial Plan helps the community understand how the water and wastewater systems are funded, maintained, and improved. It outlines how revenues are planned to support reliable, safe water service, protect infrastructure over the long term, and encourage responsible water use.

The 2026 Dundalk Drinking Water Financial Plan can be viewed here.