Community advocates in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, are raising alarms about unsustainable water pumping levels that have forced a stop on new development in several local towns. On March 22, 2026, groups highlighted that water demand has exceeded what the local environment can naturally replace for three years in a row. The Region of Waterloo has confirmed it cannot currently support new building commitments in the Mannheim Service Area, which includes Kitchener, Waterloo, and parts of Cambridge, Woolwich, and Wilmot.
The water system is facing a capacity limit because the amount being used is higher than the sustainable pumping limit of 1,455 litres per second. Between 2023 and 2025, water was taken from the ground faster than it could be replenished, leading to lower water levels in the local groundwater supply. Some residents in Wilmot Township report that their private wells have been going dry regularly over the last year as a result of the increased pumping and industrial water use.
Local organizations such as Citizens for Safe Ground Water and Hold The Line WR are calling for better protection of the area’s groundwater resources. These groups, along with Environmental Defence, are also opposing new industrial permits. For example, one company has applied to take up to 9.7 million litres of water every day in Wilmot Township to wash gravel, which is enough to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools daily.
To fix the shortage, the Region is fast-tracking repairs at treatment plants and designing new infrastructure to increase the water supply. Officials are also considering changing a 1980 policy that currently limits how much water can be moved from rural Wilmot to urban areas. While these plans are being developed, the hold on new building agreements remains in place to protect the long-term water security of the community.
