Water & Wastewater
Oxford County owns and is responsible for the management, maintenance, and long-term capital planning for the County's water and wastewater systems.
Oxford County operates all water treatment facilities and wastewater treatment plants. The City of Woodstock and the Town of Tillsonburg operate portions of their water distribution and wastewater collection systems. Oxford County operates and maintains the water distribution and wastewater collection system in the remaining Area Municipalities and select portions of the City of Woodstock and Town of Tillsonburg systems.
If you have questions about water quality or meter issues, please contact your billing agent as shown on your utility bill. For after-hour emergency calls, find the numbers for your area listed on the Billing page.
Questions? Contact Public Works at 1-800-755-0394 from Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
What's new
With 100% groundwater as Oxford County’s drinking water source, mineral build-up in the water distribution system is common. Regular watermain flushing helps maintain drinking water quality by removing build-up and mineral deposits in the distribution system. This is done by forcing water through watermains at high speed and discharging it through hydrants and blow-offs. The fast-moving water washes away any sediment.
Fall watermain flushing begins September 22 and runs until November 7, 2025. Find the fall flushing dates for your community here.
The Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health has ENDED the boil water advisory for the Village of Sweaburg and 401 Eastbound ONroute in Woodstock.
Residents in the area can resume regular water use. After a boil water advisory has ended, Public Health advises residents to run water taps for 5 minutes before using the water.
To sign up to receive boil water advisories from Oxford County by email, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/ealerts
Oxford County operates 17 municipal water systems in 21 communities, treating approximately 11 million m3 of drinking water annually. Drinking water advisories are public announcements issued by Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) at the first sign of an adverse test result and are part of the protections in place to safeguard the drinking water supply and maintain a reliable source of safe and protected drinking water.
To read learn more about water advisories, visit the Southwestern Public Health website at https://www.swpublichealth.ca/community-health/environmental-health/drinking-water/boil-water-advisory-information/
Read the Medical Officer of Health "Boil Water Advisory Rescinded" notice
Oxford County has introduced an annual newsletter, “Waterline,” to replace other water and wastewater notices mailed throughout the year, including watermain flushing and outdoor watering notices. Residents can expect to receive the newsletter in the mail in March and are encouraged to keep it handy for future reference.
Oxford County’s Water Conservation Program is in effect from May 1 to September 30.
Under the program, even-numbered addresses should water on even-numbered days, odd numbers on odd days, between the hours of 6-9 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. These restrictions apply to all residents serviced by municipal water. Commercial watering hours are 8-10 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.
Oxford County relies entirely on groundwater for its water supply. Compared to other communities near rivers or lakes, groundwater supplies take much longer to replenish and are more vulnerable to overuse. Last year in Oxford County, water consumption increased by as much as 51% in the summer months. More.
The 2024 Annual Water System Performance Summary Reports are now online. Oxford County treated and supplied approximately 10.9 million cubic metres of clean, safe and reliable drinking water to 21 communities through 17 municipal drinking water systems last year.
At the time of the February 26 report to County Council, results were available for nine of Oxford’s municipal drinking water system inspections completed by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Eight systems received a 100% inspection rating (Beachville, Brownsville, Embro, Hickson, Lakeside, Mount Elgin, Tavistock and Thamesford) and one system received a 92% rating (Innerkip). The remaining system inspection report ratings were either not available at the time of the Council report or the inspection had not yet been carried out.
See the 2024 drinking water system annual reports online here.
- Oxford County Administration Building
- Oxford County Library branches (all 14 branches)
- Oxford County Waste Management Facility
- Township of South-West Oxford office
- Town of Tillsonburg office
- Township of Zorra office
Oxford County's online calculator lets you estimate the monthly and annual water bill for someone living in your community. Try the calculator here
Before you dig, you must contact On 1 Call for all water and sewer locates. On 1 Call offers a free, 24/7 locate service both online or by calling 1-800-400-2255.