For more than 25 years, the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System and the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System have utilized a shared management team — overseeing system administration, planning and the treatment, testing and delivery of some of the highest-quality drinking water in Canada.
That work has never stopped. But until now, the organization behind it didn’t have a name that most people would recognize.
Today, that changes. Huron Erie Water is the new common public-facing identity of these two regional water utilities — each with its own Great Lake source, its own benefiting communities, and its own facilities, operating together under one organization.
Why a new name now?
The answer is simple: the region is growing, and so is our role.
The two regional water supply systems managed by Huron Erie Water supply treated drinking water to more than 15 municipalities and communities across approximately 5,000 square kilometres of Southwestern Ontario, including the City of London, St. Thomas, Lambton Shores, Aylmer, and many others. Together, our two water treatment plants — one near Grand Bend on Lake Huron, the other near Port Stanley on Lake Erie — serve a combined population of nearly 650,000 people.
For most of our history, we operated largely in the background. The water systems were known to the municipalities and partners we work with, but far less visible to the broader communities we serve. As conversations with communities, municipalities, Indigenous partners and the provincial government continue to grow in scope and importance, it became clear that the organization needed a name that matched the scale of the work — one that’s easy to find, easy to say, and easy to remember.
Huron Erie Water is that name.
What’s changing — and what isn’t
What’s new: A unified identity. When you hear from us, you’ll hear from Huron Erie Water. When you visit our website, you’ll find us at huroneriewater.ca. When you need us, Huron Erie Water will be your point of contact.
What stays the same: Everything that matters most. The team behind Huron Erie Water remains the same. Our commitment to rigorous water quality standards, accountability, and operational excellence hasn’t changed. Each water supply system — Lake Huron and Elgin Area — continues to operate with its own autonomous Board of Management, and both remain among the most well-run regional water systems in Canada.
If you hold an agreement or contract with either the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System or the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System, that agreement remains in effect exactly as it is. Huron Erie Water acts as the facilitator of those agreements going forward.
Two Great Lakes. One organization.
The Lake Huron water treatment plant, located north of Grand Bend, has a treatment capacity of 340 million litres per day and serves a population of approximately 500,000 people through eight benefiting municipalities: London, Lambton Shores, North Middlesex, South Huron, Bluewater, Lucan-Biddulph, Middlesex Centre, and Strathroy-Caradoc. By 2027, we’ll be adding a ninth community – the Oneida Nation of the Thames.
The Elgin Area water treatment plant, located east of Port Stanley, has a treatment capacity of 91 million litres per day and serves approximately 150,000 people through eight benefiting municipalities: St. Thomas, London, Aylmer, Bayham, Central Elgin, Malahide, Southwold, and Dutton Dunwich.
Together, these two systems deliver nearly 190 million litres of treated drinking water every day — water that is consistently better than Ontario’s strict drinking water quality standards before it ever reaches a municipal distribution system.
Looking ahead
This new identity is one part of a broader effort to make Huron Erie Water more visible, more accessible, and more connected to the communities we serve. In the months ahead, we’ll be sharing more about our long-term direction, the investments we’re making in infrastructure and planning, and the work underway to ensure both water supply systems are prepared for the decades ahead.
If you have questions about the new name, your water service, or anything else, we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch: general@huroneriewater.ca
Visit us online: huroneriewater.ca