‘Extremely concerning’: Reactions to Region of Waterloo water capacity issue
Posted Dec 17, 2025 07:46:38 AM.
Last Updated Dec 17, 2025 09:45:13 AM.
Residents and officials are raising concerns over the lack of information from the Region of Waterloo about a water capacity issue that was identified and shared earlier this month.
In an announcement made on Dec. 4, the region shared that a water capacity issue has been identified within the Mannheim Service Area, an area which supplies water to Kitchener, Waterloo, parts of Cambridge, as well as Woolwich and Wilmot.
The region has begun a third-party review of capacity issues and has reportedly taken steps in the interim to expedite the repair of aging infrastructure as well as the installation of new infrastructure.
“Waterloo Region’s water system is comprehensive and complex. The region is working to expedite timelines to address the issue, and a third-party review is ongoing,” said the municipality in a statement to 570 NewsRadio on Tuesday.
The region noted that it plans on sharing the results of that third-party review once completed, and that it is “committed to sharing more information with residents once available.”
“I certainly found it shocking,” said City of Kitchener Councillor Scott Davey in response to those water capacity issues at a Kitchener council meeting this week.
Staff at the City of Kitchener have reportedly had meetings with regional staff in order to learn more about these issues, and are urging the region to share more information as it becomes available.
Sam Nabi, Director, Hold The Line WR, on The Mike Farwell Show
“We still are in the dark about a lot of details about how we got to this point,” said Sam Nabi, director of Hold the Line WR, a local advocacy group. “Planning for water capacity is a very long-term game; it’s something that the development is staged out decades into the future, so for any of this to be a surprise in extremely concerning.”
Nabi added that staff at the region should be able to provide additional information about the issue ahead of the release of the third-party review based on the amount of day-to-day work they do relating to the water supply.
On Wednesday, regional council will be in closed session at a regular council meeting to receive “information regarding potential litigation related to water capacity.”
