Heather Wright/The Independent

St. Clair Township officials say a fix to the water lines at NOVA Chemicals should put an end to a massive water leak in the township’s system.

During the March 17 council meeting, councillors heard that while there are always water leaks in any system, since 2021, St. Clair has lost between 20 and 31 per cent of the water it uses from the Lambton Area Water Supply System.

In 2024, the town purchased over 5.6 million cubic meters but lost about 27 per cent of the water.
That’s about 1.5 million litres or 14 regular-sized swimming pools over the course of the year.

A report to council says the higher water loss over the last few years can be attributed to an industrial water user having several water leaks.

Councillor Pat Brown sought assurances the issue at NOVA Chemicals had been addressed.
Staff says the township is now in the process of physically moving the water meter, which was the problem.

Construction on the project is expected to start in April and is expected to solve a lot of the problems with water loss.

According to the townships annual drinking water report, large industries account for about 72 per cent of the water used in the township.