What is Source Water?
Source water is untreated water taken from lakes, rivers and underground aquifers for drinking.
How Can We Protect our Sources of Water?
Everyone can help to protect water at its source. The choices we make range from individual actions, such as taking used engine oil and other household hazardous wastes to proper disposal sites, to collective efforts by everyone working together to develop watershed-based source protection plans.
What is Drinking Water Source Protection?
Drinking Water Source protection (DWSP) is simply protecting our drinking water sources from contamination or overuse. The Government of Ontario has made a commitment to ensure that every watershed in the province has a source protection plan.
Why is Drinking Water Source Protection Important?
DWSP safeguards public health by protecting drinking water supplies. DWSP is a preventative approach and is a more cost effective means of protecting drinking water than water treatment alone. Many rural areas do not have access to municipal treatment measures, so for these people, Drinking Water Source Protection may be the only barrier they have against drinking water contamination.
Why a Watershed-Based Approach?
A watershed is the area of land that drains into a common river or stream. Water in its natural state (solid, liquid, gas, etc.) is vulnerable to contamination or depletion, depending on activities within its watershed.
Within each watershed, a source water protection plan will be developed and used to promote groundwater recharge, keep drinking water sources clean and encourage wise use of our water resources.
Under the Clean Water Act will Conservation Authority staff enter onto my land without my permission?
Conservation Authorities have a long history of working with landowners, farmers and municipalities in a mutually acceptable and respectful way and that is not going to change. We all need to work together to protect our water. Conservation Authorities already collect data, carry out studies, map resources and monitor the state of our watersheds daily.
Conservation Authority staff do not enter onto private property without permission and will continue to seek permission of property owners prior to entering their land to monitor etc. Power of entry on private property will only be used when absolutely needed.
Will there be meters installed on private residential wells?
There is no mention of metering private wells in the Clean Water Act. Local Conservation Authorities have no plans to install meters on private wells. The Minister of the Environment said this in the legislature last December. “As I indicated during broad consultations across the province, we made it clear then, and I want to repeat it now, that our government has no interest in installing meters on private residential wells.” Existing water taking permits and regulations apply to those who take more than 50,000 litres of water a day. Farmers are exempt.