Urban Thirst, Rural Strain

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Water demands are testing Wilmot’s farms & wells

By Mary Loggan

Water shortages, declining well performance, and shifting groundwater quality are becoming pressing concerns for rural residents in Wilmot Township, as increased municipal demand places new pressure on shared aquifers.

Farmers and homeowners report wells running dry, falling water tables, and new water quality issues — raising broader questions about how future growth will be balanced with longterm water sustainability.

Over the last two years, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo has increased groundwater pumping around the Mannheim well field, clearing the way for higher summer pumping during the driest, highest‑demand period.

The result, residents say, is a growing pattern of wells running dry, increased sediment and sulphur in once‑pristine groundwater, and farm businesses facing five‑figure costs to secure reliable water — all while the long‑term effects on wetlands, streams, and aquifer health remain uncertain.

Urban growth, rural risk

For Samantha Lernout, president of Citizens for Safe Ground Water, the issue comes down to how the Region has responded to its water capacity challenges.

“In a nutshell, the Region is solving their urban housing crisis constraints by putting rural water security and local food production at risk, without doing the proper homework first,” she says.

“I understand the Region is in a crisis. This has come upon them quickly; they’ve been learning a lot of new information, and many mistakes have been made. But their response is a knee‑jerk reaction, and they haven’t done the appropriate homework to be taking the water they’re taking.” The tension has deep roots. When Waterloo Region first began pumping groundwater in Wilmot in the 1970s, streams ran dry, dug wells failed, and wetlands disappeared. A 1980 water‑taking policy was introduced to cap municipal pumping and protect rural wells.

“For 40 years, the 1980 water‑taking policy safely capped municipal extraction to protect rural wells,” Lernout explains. “It took years to develop, and it was a response to massive issues in Wilmot due to municipal water drawdown.”

Farmers now believe that the safeguard has eroded.

“We thought we had an agreement between Wilmot Township and the Region of Waterloo that no further water‑takings would occur,” says Mark Reusser, Zone 9 director for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

“That agreement was broken two years ago when the Region began to clandestinely pump more water. They called it a test pump, and they did it without telling anyone and have continued to do it until today.”

Lernout argues the shift was gradual before being formalized this spring when Council rescinded the policy.

“For years, the Region quietly breached that policy by taking extra water,” she says.

“Then they put forth what I would describe as a cherry‑picked report and used it to justify rescinding this protective framework, without proper rural consultation or upfront baseline data gathering.”

She describes this as “urban growth versus rural water security.”

Impacts on farms & wells

The effects are already visible across Wilmot. Residents report more frequent well failures, declining static water levels, and new quality concerns in water that had been stable for decades.

“Within the last relatively short period of time, several dug wells have had problems both in quality and quantity here in the Mannheim catchment area,” Reusser reports.

“Even some drilled wells have had significant decreases in the static level of water — in other words, the water table. One farmer had to drill an entirely new well in another area of the farm to access water for his poultry flock.”

For farm operations, the stakes are immediate and costly.

“Farmers don’t only use water for their livestock; they use it for themselves, because they live where they farm,” Reusser says. “Out in the countryside, we’re reliant on our own wells and our own pumping system. There’s no one else to fall back on.”

Drilling a new well and installing a system can cost between $20,000 and $40,000.

On his own farm, water demand underscores the risk.

“On a warm summer day, when I still had turkeys, I would draw about 40,000 litres of water to water those turkeys,” Reusser recalls.

“If I didn’t have that 40,000 litres a day, I couldn’t do what I did.”

Lernout points to the vulnerability of intensive and specialty operations.

“This isn’t just about a kitchen tap running dry,” she says. “Commercial operations like Lyndon Trout Farms and Drost Farms depend entirely on pristine, stable groundwater. A well failure on a farm isn’t a minor inconvenience; it’s an immediate operational emergency.”

Water quality is also shifting.

“The water used to be pristine; you could bottle it and sell it,” Reusser says. “Over the past year and a half, there is now a faint sulphur smell and iron deposits that were never there before.”

When problems arise, residents say, the financial support falls short.

“When residents say, ‘My well has gone dry,’ the Municipality has offered to compensate $4,000,” Reusser says.

“They say they will also pay for well deepening or a new well; however, the cost of this is dependent on several factors, so it’s difficult to say how much they will really cover.”

How do you determine the cost of water?

Lernout adds that historically, the burden of proof has rested with the farmer.

“A producer would have to spend thousands on engineers, hydrogeologists, and lawyers to prove municipal impact,” she says.

Reusser adds, “The burden should rest on the Region that takes the water. It should not be dependent on us to phone them. They need to be the ones taking responsibility for an issue they caused.

“This isn’t a small problem, and they need to think about the impacts this has, both now and in the future.”

Region response & future planning

Better Farming recently asked the Regional Municipality of Waterloo how it plans to support residents facing water shortages, what its long-term strategy for water use is, and how current decisions will affect the future.

The Region responded with the following statement:

“The Region of Waterloo has and will continue to work with farmers and other residents concerned about their private wells. When a well interference claim is received, the Region’s technical staff, with support from a licenced well contractor, will investigate to determine if the Region’s well supply is impacting the private well.

“Every well interference complaint is unique. Historically, the majority are related to equipment malfunctions (i.e., pumps, pressure tanks, well plugging). In the unlikely event the Region impacts a private well, the Region can lower pumps, deepen wells, or replace wells as part of the current Well Interference Policy. If a private well is without water, the Region can also provide an emergency supply to the homeowner.

“Since 2019, the pumping from the Wilmot Centre wellfield has remained relatively unchanged. Given the 53 years of pumping and consistent range of water levels, long-term monitoring data carried out by the Region supports the conclusion that the current pumping rates are sustainable now and into the future.

“Planning the Region’s water supply to meet future growth needs is done through the Water Supply Strategy Update (WSSU). This work is actively underway and is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.”

At the same time, the Region is moving to establish an independent appeals committee for private well complaints and has committed to providing emergency water this summer where interference is confirmed. Lernout calls that a meaningful, if temporary, shift.

“The real test comes later,” she says, pointing to an upcoming Aug. 12 council vote on a permanent Well Interference Policy.

“What Wilmot needs is agricultural representation, respected trigger levels, and full data transparency.

Reusser says the discussion must also confront limits.

“This is an intentional removal of water. People depend on it to live, for their drinking water, and for their livestock. Water should never be put at risk like this.

“When there’s scarcity, it’s a crisis,” he says. “There is a crisis now in our Township.”

“Ninety‑five per cent of this province doesn’t have soil that can grow food,” he adds. “So why are we building on the five per cent that can?”

For Wilmot’s farmers, Lernout says, the issue remains straightforward: “Reliable, clean water is non‑negotiable.BF