Assessment Report Completion: 2010
The primary goal of the Clean Water Act is to protect the sources of municipal drinking water from pollution and overuse. In order to properly protect drinking water, we need to understand what is going on in the surrounding watershed - both above ground as surface water and below ground and groundwater.
The Assessment Report is a technical document that identifies and evaluates threats to drinking water quality and quantity. It provides the scientific foundation for the source protection planning process.
An Assessment Report includes information on vulnerable areas and potential threats. Wide public consultation will take place during the preparation of the reports. A copy of the proposed draft will be available on the website.
The Assessment Report:
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identifies the vulnerable areas near wells and intakes
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identifies the types and number of threats to water quality near wells and intakes
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ranks the potential threats as low, moderate or significant
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examines the amount of water available
For the Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Region, two Assessment Reports will be prepared: Trent Assessment Report; and Ganaraska Region Assessment Report.
Assessment Reports will provide the Source Protection Committee with information that will help determine how best to protect the quality and amount of their local water resources. After the Assessment Reports are completed and approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, work will start on Source Protection Plans. These plans will outline what policies are needed to reduce the risk posed by significant threats and to prevent new ones from developing. The plans will be complete by 2012.
What are the kinds of things that are defined as a threat?
The provincial government has issued a document entitled "Tables of Drinking Water Threats." The tables pull together information on potential threats and vulnerable areas, allowing the reader to determine where an activity would be a low, moderate or significant threat. Researchers have used these tables to identify the number and types of potential threats near the wells or surface water intakes serving municipal drinking water systems. This information is included in the Assessment Report.
Click here to read the List of Prescribed Drinking Threats from the Ministry of Environment website.