From the Township of Lake of Bays
The Township of Lake of Bays is introducing a tap-to-donate system at its three public water refill stations in Baysville, Dwight, and Hillside. Staff and council hope these devices will encourage more donations in our increasingly cashless world to help with the costs associated with this free, year-round service available for campers, visitors, and residents.
Funds collected at these sites will help offset the cost of operating the water taps, support the future replacement of aging wells, and contribute to the local fire department, along with other municipal initiatives.
Staff would like to remind residents that public water taps are intended for filling personal containers with drinking water only. It has been observed that demand for water is increasing, with some users drawing hundreds of litres at a time without making any donations. Additionally, there have been instances of the taps being used for unintended purposes, such as washing vehicles, which places a significant strain on municipal resources and can create hazardous ice conditions during colder months.
“I want to emphasize that the water taps remain free for everyone. Our new tap-to-donate system just makes it easier for residents to contribute if they want to,” said Scott MacKinnon, Superintendent of Parks and Facilities. “We get that, in many situations, people want to donate but don’t always have cash on hand. So, we’ve made it a little easier. Just use the tap and tap to give!”
Cash donations are still being accepted at all three locations, and the new tap-to-donate system accommodates all major cashless payment methods. Users wishing to contribute more than the minimum of $2 may do so by tapping the device with their payment method multiple times.
Related
Lake of Bays Council shies away from charging for water at public taps
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It’s no surprise people will take advantage of free/by donation water.
$2,400/year is typical for water and sewer in Muskoka.
And rising every year.
Including the approximately $1,000 cost shown/hidden on our property taxes.
Highest cost in Ontario, and climbing.
Cottagers complain about high taxes for low services. Rightly so.
But they can get free/by donation water and they don’t pay $2,400/year for water and sewer services.
Sewer charges are dependent on measured water usage so washing your car with free water means no sewer charges for water that never goes down the sewer.
Like the sewer charges for washing your car or watering your lawn at home.
Cost of services is so high here it’s possible to save $1,000/year or 80% of your usage with extreme water conservation/substitution.
Search “Oppose Bracebridge Sewers” for the website listing many inexpensive ways to save money.
Great idea. We have had a family cottage in Wolf Bay Penlake since 1919. We welcomed the public water tap at Hillside when I went in. Great tasting water! It meant we could get off drawing water from the lake and adding an unmeasured amount of chlorine to (maybe) make potable water. But sometimes we found ourselves at Hillside with no cash. (Who even has cash these days.) So we’d have to get our water and feel guilty about not paying. Now we can reimburse every time.