‘Why weren’t we alerted earlier?’: Regional councillor asks for water supply shortage investigation

A longtime politician is formally asking for an investigation into Waterloo Region’s water supply shortage. CTV’s Jeff Pickel reports.

A former mayor of Cambridge and current Waterloo Region council is formally asking for an investigation into the region’s water supply shortage.

“I think we need that to build confidence into the community about what is happening and how we’re going forward. I think that’s vital,” Councillor Doug Craig said during an interview with CTV News on Friday. “I would like [regional staff] to look back approximately five years to when I believe there’s some of these warning signs were there.”

Craig’s comments come after a regional council meeting on Wednesday included a presentation from the region’s hydrologist that laid bare the extent of the issues.

“We’ve been taking more water out of the ground than what is sustainable,” Geoff Moroz, a hydrologist for the Region of Waterloo, said.

“We’ve been in a state of peaking or over-pumping for three years, and that’s a state that you don’t want to be in for an extended period of time,” Moroz explained.

• TIMELINE: Water capacity concerns in Waterloo Region

According to the Moroz’s report, the region has been using more than the stated maximum capacity of water for around three years, only maintaining regular water service through a temporary reserve system known as “peaking”

“Typically, we would see that being used in the summer, not necessarily on a frigid February day, when the aquifers should probably be resting and that is the state we have been in for the last three years,” said Moroz.

Craig asked why council only became aware of the situation in late 2025 if it has been a prolonged issue.

Regional staff responded that it takes time to collect and analyse data, and previously stated issues with not understanding that water used in other parts of the region could not be pumped into the Mannheim service area.

“I think our understanding of the system back then, we thought there was a lot more operational flexibility within the system than we thought there was more room within the system,” Moroz said.

Looking for answers

Craig said he will put forward a motion during the March 10 regional council meeting to conduct a third-party investigation into what happened and how no one caught the problem sooner.

“I think the point being, it has snuck up on us, and what does that mean? Why weren’t we alerted earlier?” said Craig.

Craig said it’s not about pointing fingers, but rebuilding trust in the community.

“I think what we need is clarity in terms of what happened, and I think what we need is recommendations to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.