Arthur P. Kennedy Lakeview WT Plant | 360º Virtual Tour created by Liberty360º Inc.]]> Welcome to the Arthur P. Kennedy Water Treatment Plant

The Arthur P. Kennedy water treatment plant is one of 2 facilities that clean water in Peel Region. Peel Region includes the cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon. 

This facility opened in 1953, but it has grown and changed a lot since then. 

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Welcome to Arthur P Kennedy Water Treatment Plant.


The Arthur P Kennedy Water Treatment Plant is one of two facilities that take water from the lake and treat it to provide clean safe drinking water throughout Peel. Peel Region includes the Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon.


This facility first went into operation in 1953, but has grown and changed a lot since then.


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]]> Peel Region treated 210 billion litres of water in 2019.

Peel Region provides water to 1.5 million people.
]]> Highlight who Arthur P. Kennedy is and why the facility was named after him. (combine with images of Arthur P. Kennedy)]]> Our tour starts in the Control Room. The operators monitor every step in the water treatment process from this room. The diagram shows an overview of all the different steps.

There are always 2 people in the water treatment plant, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They constantly monitor everything to make sure the water is being treated correctly.

]]> Our tour starts in the Control Room. The operators monitor every step in the water treatment process from this room.

The water treatment plant is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Operators constantly monitor everything to make sure the water is being treated correctly.

]]> These coolers are used to transport water samples to the lab. We use coolers to keep the temperature consistent. We will learn more about water testing later in the tour.]]> There are many different careers related to water treatment, both in a facility like this one and in the community. The education, training and skills that are needed vary based on the role, the responsibilities and the location where you are working. The operators at this facility are highly trained and continue to learn on an on-going basis. Since we all use water every day these career options are really important!]]> This is Lake Ontario, where the whole process starts. Lake Ontario is where residents and businesses in Mississauga, Brampton and parts of Caledon get their drinking water.

Water enters the water treatment plant through a large pipe. This pipe stretches 2 km out into Lake Ontario and is about 15 m below the surface. Water from further out in the lake is better because it’s cleaner and less affected by human activities.

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This is a view of Lake Ontario from the water treatment plant. Lake Ontario is where the water treatment process starts. From here we treat water for residents in Mississauga, Brampton and parts of Caledon.  


Water enters the water treatment plant through a large pipe. This pipe stretches 2km out into Lake Ontario and is about 15m below the surface.  Water from this part of the lake is cleaner because it is less affected by human activities. 


A screen at the end of the pipe stops large items such as fish, plants and garbage from entering the facility.


]]> Once the water is brought in from Lake Ontario it takes 2-3 hours to clean it.]]> This is the screening room. 

Here, the water travels through fine screens like the ones you’d find on a window. These screens remove any items that made their way into the facility, such as small fish, plants and zebra and quagga mussels.

Once the water has been screened, pumps move it on to the next step. 

]]> These pump the screened water into the next stage of the treatment process. Each one costs about half a million dollars.]]> We continuously monitor the quality of water throughout the process. Here we are monitoring the quality of the untreated water as it enters the facility. ]]>

You’re now entering the Ozone Generation Room. Ozone gas is a powerful cleaner. It’s used to disinfect the water at this step of the treatment process.


To disinfect means to deactivate harmful germs in the water so they can’t make us sick. Ozone also breaks down organic material, so it can be removed more easily in the next treatment step.

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This is an ozone generator. Ozone gas is unstable and cannot be moved, so we make it here with oxygen and electricity through a process called electrolysis. Oxygen is stored at the facility in large tanks.

]]> Do you remember the screens in the control room? The treatment process is continuously monitored, and operators can check on the treatment process and the equipment from the control room or by looking at monitors like these throughout the facility. ]]> There are many different pipes in this room. They are transporting oxygen, ozone, and electricity. We'll learn more about the different coloured pipes later in the tour. ]]> As we move to the next stage in the treatment process, you’ll see all the different pipes. These pipes are carrying water through the different stages of the treatment process. You’ll get a closer look at these pipes later. Look around to see hotspots showing where we’ve come from and where we’re going next.]]> Over here is the ozone generation room. ]]> This is the Biologically Activated Carbon Contactors. This is where we’re going next.]]> The membrane gallery is behind these windows. This is step 9 in our tour.]]> Ultraviolet disinfection takes place in the purple sections of the pipe. This is step 8 of our tour.]]>
This is the Biologically Activated Carbon Contactor room.  We call it the BACC for short.

Here water from the ozone contactors is filtered.  Water is brought in at the top of the tanks and is slowly filtered through a thick layer of biologically activated carbon. 

Under a microscope, biologically activated carbon looked like popped popcorn and has special bacteria that live on the surface. These bacteria eat the pieces of organic matter that were deactivated during the ozone process.  This helps remove a lot of the taste and odour in the water. 

You may have seen activated carbon in a home water filter. 
]]> The BACC tanks are cleaned regularly by sending air and water backwards through the system. We call this backwashing. Backwashing pushes dirt (organic matter) to the top of the tank, where it moves into troughs and is removed. It takes just 60 minutes to complete a backwash.]]> This facility has 5 BACC tanks filled with 2.5 m of activated carbon. The tanks are 15 m deep. 

When the treatment plant was designed and built, future population growth was considered. To treat enough water for the growing population of Peel, there are areas like this, where the tank is built and ready, but is not currently needed.
]]> You’re now on the pump floor, looking at the UV disinfection equipment. UV stands for ultraviolet. You’ve probably heard about protecting your eyes from the sun’s UV rays.

In this stage, the filtered water passes through a lighting unit. This unit uses special UV light bulbs to release wavelengths that deactivate bacteria and viruses. When they are exposed to the wavelengths of UV light the bacteria and viruses are unable to reproduce or make us sick. These deactivated germs are then removed during the last filtration step.

]]> This is a crane that can be used to move large and heavy equipment around such as pipes, reactors and pumps. The crane can lift up to 7500kg which is the equivalent of approximately 4 pickup trucks.]]> Brown pipes contain wastewater (dirty water) created from cleaning the filters.]]> You’ll notice some pipes have arrows showing the direction of the flow of water. This one is transporting water from the UV reactor to the membrane gallery.]]> Just like the empty tank in the carbon contactors, these yellow markings show where additional pipes can be added to the process to help expand water treatment capacity in the future.]]> Green pipes contain air used for ventilation and backwashing.]]> Red pipes contain chemicals that are used to clean the treatment equipment.]]> Blue pipes on this side are transporting water to and from the membrane gallery.

]]> Green pipes contain air used for ventilation and backwashing.]]> Brown pipes contain wastewater (dirty water) created from cleaning the filters.]]> These white pipes are transporting water from the ozone contactors to be filtered in the carbon tanks.]]> This is a crane that can be used to move large and heavy equipment around such as pipes, reactors and pumps. The crane can lift up to 7500kg which is the equivalent of approximately 4 pickup trucks.]]> This is the Membrane Gallery with an ultra-filtration membrane system. During this stage small particles and microorganisms (like harmful bacteria) are removed through tiny membrane fibres.

Look around to learn more about the process.
]]> It’s important to keep the membranes clean. We do this in different ways, including backwashing which we learned about in the carbon contactors. The foam and bubbles you see here are a result of this backwash because a lot of oxygen is added to the water. The foam and bubbles will settle out over time and do not end up in our drinking water.]]> This is a sample module. Each module has approximately 35,000 fibres inside. ]]>

]]> After water has been filtered through the membranes we add chlorine and fluoride. Chlorine keeps the water clean as it travels through the pipes to your home. We also add a small amount of fluoride to help keep our teeth strong and healthy.

Before the water can be sent out it must be tested in the lab, which is where you are now. The water is tested for over 150 health related and aesthetic (taste, smell and colour) parameters.
]]> Water samples are taken at various stages of the treatment process as we continuously monitor the quality of water. The taps bring water from all over the facility to the lab so that it can be tested. ]]>




]]> Clean drinking water leaves the plant through a reservoir and a series of pumps. It then travels through underground pipes to your home, schools and businesses. It can take up to 4 days for water to travel from Lake Ontario to your tap.]]> You may have seen a water tower in your neighbourhood. Clean water is stored all around Peel, some in water towers and some in underground reservoirs. Operators continue to monitor the water throughout the distribution system to make sure that it is always clean and safe to drink. ]]>