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Utilities Kingston is sharing its 2018 online annual reports with the community

Utilities Kingston is sharing its 2018 online annual reports with the community

Find the "Serving with pride" reports and a brief video overview (see link at bottom) at www.UtilitiesKingston.com/2018 and www.KingstonHydro.com/2018.

“Our employees are recognized for their expertise, as they further our vision of building better communities. By being involved in our local community, delivering trusted service and promoting conservation to help combat climate change, they deliver the benefits of Kingston’s unique multi-utility," says Jim Keech, president and CEO of Utilities Kingston.

We are unique in Ontario, combining water, wastewater, gas, electrical and broadband networking services in one company. Trusted by customers to deliver reliable utilities for more than 150 years, employees are proud to provide personal, responsive services.

2018 highlights

  • Provided opportunities for 17 students to gain meaningful career experience.
  • Provided free, quality tap water with the water buggy at 53 local events.

Health and safety

  • Thirty-six company leaders became certified in mental health first aid.
  • Hosted 562 participants from 144 contracting firms at our award-winning Safety Days, presented jointly with the City of Kingston.
  • Received a TSSA Safety Impact Award recognizing safety leaders who support contractor and public education.

Conservation

  • Conservation experts helped commercial customers identify and fund conservation efforts that saved enough water to supply 107 average homes.
  • From 2015-2018, Utilities Kingston’s electricity customers have saved an average of 7M kWh/year – enough energy to power 2,288 homes.
  • Since 2015, Utilities Kingston has helped support $1.5M in natural gas conservation incentives. In 2018, six commercial customers used incentives to upgrade weather stripping saving 41,218 cubic metres of natural gas.
  • Delivered over 23,970 Powerful Insight Reports to more than 5,600 homes saving each household an average of $39 annually.

Water achievements

  • Replaced 1,387 metres and relined nearly 4,000 metres of water main - mostly in  Strathcona Park.
  • Replaced 2,627 water meters, using in-house expertise to complete the four-year project to replace 39,000 water meters.
  • Completed the repair and restoration of the 60-year-old Tower Street Water Tower.
  • Ensured water quality by taking 4,000 microbiological and 10,000 chemical samples.
  • Treated and pumped 22 billion litres of water.
  • Tested and maintained nearly 3,500 backflow prevention devices. More than 500 new devices were installed in industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential buildings.

Wastewater achievements

  • Cleaned and inspected 48 km of sewer mains to ensure the integrity of the sanitary sewer (up from 17 km in 2017), focusing on the larger trunk sewer network.
  • Continued the $88M expansion of the Cataraqui Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • Completed roofing for the digester at Ravensview.
  • Increased capacity of the Westbrook Sewage Pumping Station to support development.
  • Completed a study and public consultation on options to upgrade the Days Road Sewage Pump Station
  • Completed a third of the work to the $3.9 million Ravensview Septage Receiving Station.
  • Provided the Preventative Plumbing Program to reduce the risk of basement flooding. Since 2012, $2.3 million in financial assistance has helped 1,500 homeowners invest in preventative plumbing.

Gas achievements

  • Inspected or maintained 336 out of 1,400 mainline gas valves.
  • Inspected over 20 per cent of the infrastructure for leaks on an annual basis.

Electricity achievements

  • Recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Canadian Electricity Association.
  • Continued work to upgrade Substation No. 1, Kingston’s oldest substation housed in a heritage building at Queen and King streets.
  • Visually inspected 1,366 of 5,229 electricity poles and related equipment to help prioritize capital works.
  • Through the infrared scanning preventative program, identified 101 defects that are prioritized for operation and maintenance works.
  • Restored 31 unplanned power outages – more than half due to underground electrical cable failures, highlighting the importance of investing in infrastructure upgrades.

Streetlight and traffic signals achievements

  • Resolved 233 streetlight trouble calls and 238 traffic signal trouble calls.
  • Implemented a new system for work orders that allows for better tracking and analytics.

See and share the full reports at www.UtilitiesKingston.com/2018 and www.KingstonHydro.com/2018