Clint Budd / CC
The Town of New Tecumseth is moving ahead with the next phase of its Alliston Groundwater Optimization Program.
This is a multi-year initiative designed to increase water supply capacity and improve long-term system reliability for Alliston, Beeton, and Tottenham.
The project stems from the Town’s 2016 Water Supply, Distribution and Storage Master Plan, which identified a need for an additional 3,900 cubic metres of groundwater per day to meet projected demand through 2031 and provide greater security of supply.
Since then, the Town has explored several options to address the shortfall. An extensive groundwater exploration program launched in 2018 examined 19 potential test well sites, but no suitable new water source was identified. A subsequent Class Environmental Assessment completed in 2021 recommended developing a new production well and treatment facility at the Hillcrest Well Site, but further testing later determined the site could not produce the required water volumes.
Attention then shifted to optimizing the existing groundwater system. A Groundwater Well Optimization Study completed in 2022 and 2023 found that the Town could significantly increase system capacity by constructing additional wells near existing well sites.
As part of that work, two new production wells were drilled in 2024 and 2025. Well 9, located near the existing Well 4 and 6 site, produced a yield of 34 litres per second. Well 10, installed near the Well 5 site, produced approximately 10 litres per second.
Based on those results, the Town is now focusing on Well 9 as the primary expansion project. Preliminary designs have been completed, with detailed design work expected to wrap up in 2026. Tendering and construction of the Well 9 facility and related site upgrades are expected to begin in the second half of the year.
Construction is anticipated to take approximately 18 months, with the new facility expected to be commissioned and brought online in 2028.
While Well 10 demonstrated some additional capacity, Town officials say it will only provide partial standby capability. As a result, detailed design and construction of a permanent Well 10 facility have been deferred to a future planning period.
The project also includes updates to source water protection plans, drinking water approvals, conservation authority permitting, archaeological assessments and environmental mitigation measures related to air and noise impacts.
Once complete, the new Well 9 facility is expected to strengthen New Tecumseth’s groundwater system and help meet growing water demands as the community continues to expand.
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