A source protection plan contains a series of policies that will protect our drinking water sources from current and future threats. These threats have been identified through the technical and scientific work outlined in our Assessment Reports. The plan will look at the best way we, as a community, can protect our sources of municipal drinking water now and in the future.
Activities that are ranked as significant threats to drinking water will require action to minimize or eliminate the threat as outlined in a source protection plan. The Source Protection Plan will set out mandatory policies for addressing significant threats to drinking water.
Strategies might include voluntary activities such as agricultural best management practices, changes in sewage treatment plant practices, and even regulated land uses in the case of significant risks. The plan may also suggest education programs to help all of us understand what we can do to protect our sources of drinking water at home, at work and at the cottage.
The Source Protection Committee will work closely with municipalities, business, landowners and other stakeholders to decide which combination of tools will work best in local circumstances. Source Protection Plans must be submitted to the Province for review and approval by August 2012.