Water

Most residences and businesses in the RM of St. Clements use private wells for their water supply. Majority of private wells in the southern portion of the RM draw groundwater from a fractured limestone aquifer known as the carbonate aquifer which extends from the US/Manitoba border, through the Manitoba Interlake, to the area north of The Pas. Municipal water is available to the community of East Selkirk, and in the near future, the community of Lockport.

To find our more about the aquifer system in the RM of St. Clements, including an overview and history, download  Assessment of Regional Water Infrastructure, April 8, 2016 – Partnership of the Manitoba Capital Region.

Residential Lead Monitoring

The RM of St. Clements East Selkirk Public Water System is offering free residential testing for lead in drinking water for homes in East Selkirk in 2025. The Province of Manitoba and the RM of St. Clements strongly recommend that you test your drinking water for lead.

Lead is a naturally occurring metal that is commonly found in the environment. While it is present in various materials, excessive exposure to lead can be harmful to health. In the past, before its dangers were understood, lead was widely used in products like gasoline, paint, solder, pottery, crystal, and plumbing fixtures. Lead in drinking water is particularly concerning, as it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making it difficult to detect.

Lead exposure can effect the health of everyone, but fetuses, infants and young children are the most sensitive to lead exposure. The Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines state that lead concentration in drinking water should not exceed 0.005 mg/L and recommends that child care providers and schools test their drinking water for lead.

Sources of Lead:

Lead solder connections and brass water fixtures, taps, and valves can be difficult to identify in your home’s plumbing. To reduce lead exposure, it’s important to flush your plumbing system regularly.

• If your home was built before 1950, lead water pipes may have been used.
• If your home was built before 1990, it may have lead solder connecting the water pipes. Since 1990, the Canadian National Plumbing Code has limited the use of lead solder in new plumbing installations and repairs for drinking water supplies.
• If your home was built before 2014, the brass taps, valves, and fittings could contain lead. Prior to January 2014, these components could contain up to 8% lead. However, as of January 4, 2014, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates that brass fixtures used in drinking water plumbing contain no more than 0.25% lead.

FREE WATER TESTING AVAILBLE TO EAST SELKIRK UTILITY CUSTOMERS

If you are interested in this free testing, please phone, email, or visit the RM of St. Clements Office to request your sample bottles and instructions on sample collection.

Residents must return collected samples to the RM Office at 1043 Kittson Road during regular office hours between July 23 and July 30, 2025.

The RM will transport all samples to the lab and cover the costs of the analysis.

For more information on lead in drinking water please visit the Province of Manitoba website: https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/water/drinking-water/lead/index.html.

Private Wells

Well Water Testing

The province recommends testing wells and cistern water for the presence of bacteriological contaminants at least once a year. Preferably, the sample should be taken when the system is most vulnerable to contamination, e.g. during spring melt or following a period of heavy rainfall. Additional testing should be conducted if the well or cistern has been affected by flooding or if there is a noticeable change in the water’s taste, colour, odour, or clarity.

Private surface water systems should not be used for drinking unless you are absolutely certain the water has been properly filtered, disinfected, and ongoing water testing has demonstrated that the water is safe to drink. If you are consuming treated surface water, as a minimum, a water test should be conducted every change of season and following any maintenance completed on the treatment system.

Water Testing Labs

The Municipal Office has bottles and forms for water testing from several labs. These are available for residents to pick up anytime during office hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Provincially Subsidized Testing at Horizon Lab

The Province of Manitoba offers private water system owners a once-a-year subsidy for bacteria (total coliform and E. coli) analysis of their drinking water through Horizon Lab.

For information regarding sample bottle pick up, sample submission requirements, and payment options, please contact Horizon Lab directly.

Horizon Lab ltd.
4055 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3K 2E8
Phone: 204-488-2035
Fax: 204-488-4772

Provincial water well fact sheets and educational videos on well testing, well disinfection, and how to reduce well water contamination are available on the Manitoba Government website.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Office of Drinking Water:

• General inquiries, 204-945-5762;
• Technical inquiries and guidance specifically related to private wells, 204-948-1351.

East Selkirk Water Utility

The East Selkirk Water Treatment Plant (WTP) located at 1147 Strathcona Road provides high quality potable drinking water to the community of East Selkirk since commissioned in October 2012. Plant upgrades initiated in 2021 and concluded in early 2023 include high pressure membrane technology to soften the quality of the water by removing dissolved minerals and metals from the water supply. Upgrades also allow for expansions on servicing capacities to accommodate future population growth the community of East Selkirk as well as neighbouring communities such as Lockport to the south. The plant is serviced by a backup generator which is automatically switched over to in the event of power interruption to ensure the water supply remains available to users. Treated water produced from the East Selkirk Water Treatment Plant meets or exceeds all health and aesthetic objectives set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

Download the 2022 East Selkirk Water Treatment Plant Report:

Installation/Hook up Charges

Existing Properties

Properties existing at the time of utility installation had the option of paying their share of the infrastructure costs through a cash payment or through borrowing as part of a Local Improvement District over a 20 year term. See By-Law 12-2009 below:

New Lots

For newly created lots within the service area Schedule A of By-Law 10-2012 outline the costs to make connection and buy into the system. See By-Law 10-2012 below:

Billing

• Billing will be quarterly, sent out every three months four times per year in April, July, October and January.
• The charge is based on the amount of water your household uses.
• A minimum charge based on using 14 cubic metres of water will be applied to every bill even if you use less than 14 cubic metres of water.
  • 14 cubic metres of water is equivalent to 14,000 litres which works out to 156 litres of water per day per household.  The Canadian average use is 251 litres per day per person.
  • Water conservation calculator and tips can be found on the Home Water Works website.
• The administration fee covers the cost of reading the meters, preparing and mailing out the bills.
• The minimum charge is to ensure the costs of providing and treating the water are collected.
• The water (and sewer) rates for East Selkirk are available here: https://www.pubmanitoba.ca/pdf/15water/4-15.pdf

How to pay

• Payment can be made at the municipal office by cheque, cash or debit.  It can also be mailed in or dropped through the mail slot at the back door of the municipal office.
• You can pay online through your financial institution.  Please use your account number as shown on the bottom center of your bill.

Late Payment

• Thirty days after the billing date a late payment fee of 1.25% per month will be charged.

Meter Readings

• Readings can be done from the road with hand-held meter readers.
• Readings will be taken at the end of March, June, September and December.

Helpful information

• Canada Mortgage and Housing have published a “Household Guide to water efficiency” which has some wonderful information in it.  View the efficiency guide here.
• By simply placing a plug in the sink, instead of leaving the tap to run, you’ll save a litre of water every six seconds. Remember this next time you’re peeling the spuds or doing the washing up.
• There’s nothing more irritating than a dripping tap, especially as it can waste around 1,544 litres of water a year. That’s enough for twenty baths!
• Leaving the tap running when brushing your teeth can waste 9 litres of water every minute – that’s 6,570 litres a year! Remember: when you brush and floss, turn it off.

FAQ