Ensuring Safe Drinking Water: Nobleton’s Groundwater System
York Region provides clean, safe and affordable drinking water to over 1.25 million people, monitoring water quality around the clock. Year-over-year, York Region consistently achieves top water quality scores with perfect water quality scores in 2024, demonstrating 100% compliance with Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards, which identifies more than 100 criteria for safe consumption limits.
The Nobleton community in the Township of King relies on a groundwater-based drinking system, sourced from wells tapped into aquifers. Groundwater is protected from contaminants due to many layers of earth above the aquifer that act as a natural water filter.
Groundwater naturally has more minerals like iron than lake water. These minerals enter the Nobleton Drinking Water System primarily through groundwater wells. In 2025, the average iron level in Nobleton's drinking water was 0.787 mg/L. This exceeds the aesthetic value guidelines for iron of 0.3 mg/L in Ontario but is not considered a health concern. While iron can affect the look and taste of water, its natural presence in York Region’s drinking water remains safe and does not pose a health risk.
York Region disinfects groundwater with safe levels of chlorine to ensure it stays protected with high-quality water right to your tap. York Region’s water remains safe to drink and meets all provincial standards.
A letter from York Region’s former Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sarah Erdman regarding the safety of York Region’s water is available.
Annual reports on York Region’s drinking water systems and water quality test results are shared at york.ca/DrinkingWater.
York Region investing in Nobleton drinking water systems
As part of York Region’s Groundwater Treatment Strategy, the Region is enhancing well facilities and building a new Nobleton Water Treatment Plant. Three of four production wells will be connected to the new plant, whose capacity will exceed the Town’s average daily water demands.
The treatment process will remove iron and other naturally occurring minerals. The fourth well, brought online in 2024, will serve as an emergency back-up supply, replacing a 1968 well now slated for decommissioning. The long‑term need for the fourth well will be reviewed as part of a larger servicing study, expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The total projected investment for Nobleton Water Servicing in the Town’s 2026 ten‑year capital plan is $30.6 million. With the design stage complete, construction is anticipated to begin in Q2 2026, with completion of this multi‑phase project expected in 2028. This phased approach will ensure the community continues to receive an uninterrupted water supply throughout construction.
To learn more about design and construction of the Nobleton Water Treatment Plant, visit york.ca/WaterConstruction.
If you have questions about water quality or York Region’s drinking water system, visit york.ca/DrinkingWater or contact us (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at 1-877-464-9675 (TTY: 1-866-512-6228) or AccessYork@york.ca.
Water is delivered through a two-tiered water system. York Region operates and maintains 15 drinking water supply systems, providing water to all nine local cities and towns. In turn, those cities and towns are responsible for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining their distribution systems to deliver high quality water to residents and businesses.
The Nobleton community in the Township of King is currently serviced by groundwater since connection to the York Water System (surface water) is not permitted due to the province’s long-term plan, A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, that precludes lake-based water servicing for communities in the Greenbelt.