Identifying the threats to our water supplies
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 as 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. It includes
information on vulnerable areas and potential threats.
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
Wide public consultation took place during the preparation of the reports. A copy of the Proposed Assessment Reports are available on this website. The documents were submitted to the Ministry of the Environment October 28, 2010 for approval.
Assessment Reports 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 approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, work will start on the development of Source Protection Plans. These plans will outline what policies are needed to eliminate significant threats and to prevent new ones from developing. Source Protection Plans will be completed 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.