Current Precautionary Boil Water Advisory - March 2026

During boil water advisories, you should boil all water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, or brushing teeth.

Infant formulas should be prepared using boiled tap water at all times. Water for pets should also be boiled or bottled.

It is not necessary to boil tap water used for other household purposes, such as showering, laundry, bathing, or washing dishes. Adults, teens, and older children can wash, bathe, or shower; however, they should avoid swallowing the water. Toddlers and infants should be sponge bathed.

More information from Grey Bruce Public Health can be found here.

This impacts the entire City of Owen Sound as well as parts of Meaford (Village of Leith) and Georgian Bluffs who are connected to the City of Owen Sound water system.

Since the current boil water advisory has been issued as a precaution and there is no current outbreak of human illness, there is no need for additional hand sanitizing with alcohol-based hand rub. If you use an alcohol-based hand rub, ensure it contains between 60-90% alcohol (e.g., ethanol, isopropanol).

More information from Grey Bruce Public Health can be found here.

Grey Bruce Public Health has advised this precautionary measure due to high levels of turbidity (cloudiness in the water) observed at the water treatment plant. High levels of turbidity can interfere with disinfection, which is one component of water treatment. The water currently continues to meet all other quality and testing standards. 

Turbidity is a measure of how cloudy water is, caused by tiny particles suspended in it rather than the water being clear. These particles can include:

• Dirt or soil
• Silt and clay
• Algae
• Organic material
• Microorganisms

If the device is designed to improve the taste and odour or chemical quality of the water, such as activated carbon filters, it is still necessary to boil the water.

Drinking water directly from the tap is not recommended and could potentially result in illness. 

Grey Bruce Public Health Boil Water fact sheets are available online: https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Environment/Safe-Water/Public-Drinking-Water#1807108-precautionary-advisory

General Boil Water Advisory Fact Sheet: https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Portals/0/Topics/WaterSafety/Public_Drinking/BWA_Fact_Sheet.pdf

What we experienced was primarily a source water issue. The quality of water coming into the treatment plant had very high turbidity (cloudiness), which makes it much harder to treat efficiently. While the plant itself has continued to operate and is functioning properly, the rate at which water could be safely filtered and treated was challenged by the quality of the incoming water. In simple terms, poorer source water takes longer and more effort to process.

The poor source water conditions were largely driven by warmer temperatures and heavy rainfall over the previous weekend, which increased runoff into the bay. We have seen similar levels of runoff in the past. This time, it happened while ice cover was still on the bay, which likely added to the challenge.

The ice cover made it more difficult to see the extent of the poor quality water, where it was coming from (north or south), and how long it might persist based on wind and current conditions. We believe the ice cover was a significant contributing factor to why these poor water conditions lasted longer than we would typically expect.

In addition to boiling water, the City of Owen Sound is asking all residents, as well as anyone who lives or works in a building connected to the City’s water system, to reduce their water use.

This could be shorter or less frequent showers, no half-loads in dishwasher or washing machines, less flushing of toilets, etc.

The lower demand on the water system will help in remedial efforts.

An emergency has not been declared.  This is a precautionary boil water advisory. The City does not have its own independent texting system to reach all residents at once.  Residents are strongly encouraged to sign up for emailed news at OwenSound.ca/Subscribe.  Signing up will send City news releases directly to your email inbox.

Thanks to generous support from Bruce Power and Ice River Springs, there is a limited supply of bottled water available for residents to pick up today (Monday, March 16).

The City is working with Grey County, Supportive Outreach Services (SOS), United Way Bruce Grey, OShaRE, and the Salvation Army to ensure that vulnerable individuals within the community have access to bottled water.

Bottled water will be available at the Public Works Administration building (1900 20th Street East) beginning at 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. while supplies last. One case per car. 

Bottled water distribution hours are limited due to forecasted winter weather advisories for this evening.

The protocol for lifting the precautionary boil water advisory considers a number of elements, including how the treatment system is operating, quality of the source water at our intake (Georgian Bay) and is done in consultation with Grey Bruce Public Health and Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). Therefore it will be a number of combined factors - water quality and testing, water production capability and finally water totals in the system's reservoirs, it’s not based on just one issue alone such as turbidity.

This situation is different from a typical infrastructure issue where something breaks and there’s a clear, step‑by‑step fix and clearly identified dates; identify the problem, order parts, make repairs, and return to normal operations.

In this case, the City’s water system itself is functioning as designed. The challenge we’re dealing with is high turbidity, or cloudiness, in the source water coming into the treatment plant. That condition is largely influenced by natural factors such as weather, runoff, and lake conditions, which means it isn’t something we can repair on a fixed timeline.

The good news is that we are seeing encouraging trends. The precautionary boil water advisory, combined with residents’ efforts to reduce water use, has helped stabilize the system, and staff are cautiously optimistic. That said, we do need to see continued conservation and continued improvement in turbidity levels.

Optimistically, if these positive trends continue, we would hope that by Wednesday, March 18, the water treatment plant and system may be in a position where lifting the precautionary boil water advisory can be considered.

Any decision to lift the advisory will require careful review and consultation with Grey Bruce Public Health and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to ensure all health and safety requirements are met.

We recognize this is inconvenient for residents and businesses, and we truly appreciate the cooperation shown so far. Ultimately, protecting public health and safety has to come first, and the advisory will be lifted as soon as it is safe to do so.

While the boil water advisory continues, the City will post a daily media release at OwenSound.ca/News to keep the community informed. Residents are strongly encouraged to subscribe to City news at OwenSound.ca/Subscribe to receive an email directly with the media release containing new or updated information.

Residents are strongly encouraged to subscribe to City news at OwenSound.ca/Subscribe to receive emails as new or updated information is shared.