Source Water Protection Video
What is Source Water Protection?
The Source Water Protection program is protecting our drinking water sources from overuse and contamination. This helps to protect public health. In Ontario, source water protection is carried out under the Clean Water Act, 2006.
The goal of source water protection is to ensure we have enough clean drinking water for generations to come.
Source water protection is considered the "first barrier" of a multi-barrier approach to providing safe drinking water. Other barriers are effective water treatment, proper distribution and adequate water testing. Source water protection also protects against overuse by determining how much water is available compared to how much is needed.
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Why does Ontario need the Clean Water Act, 2006 and how will it protect Ontario’s drinking water?
Everyone has a right to clean water and need clean drinking water to survive. Unfortunately, history has shown us that if a community is not careful, contaminants can enter a drinking water supply, or the supply can be exhausted. Every community has a responsibility to make sure its children and their children are left with enough clean drinking water to survive. We must be able to trust our water sources.
The Clean Water Act helps to reduce risks to municipal drinking water sources by addressing threats to drinking water quality and quantity. It establishes a locally driven, science-based, multi-stakeholder process to protect drinking water sources and promotes the notion of stewardship – the shared responsibility of all stakeholders to protect the integrity of local sources of public drinking water.
Why protect the Source?
Protecting water sources safeguards public health and our future water needs. Other good reasons to protect water sources:
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It is important to prevent source water from becoming contaminated because water testing and treatment procedures are not perfect.
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Source water protection is cost effective. It is more cost effective to keep our water clean and protected rather than to have to pay to clean it up.
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Not all forms of contamination can be removed or treated (i.e. many chemical compounds).
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Many people in Ontario, especially in rural areas, are not connected to municipal water. These people supply their own drinking water from a private well or surface water intake. For these people, protecting source water from contamination may be the only barrier they have against contaminated drinking water.
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Protected, abundant sources of water will allow our communities to plan properly for future development.
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Protecting our water sources also means we will have clean abundant water for other uses like recreation.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 requires the development of Source Protection Plans designed to protect existing and future sources of municipal drinking water. The Thames-Sydenham and Region Source Protection Plan contains the policies that will protect our drinking water from significant threats.
The Source Protection Plan for the Thames-Sydenham and Region contains polices that manage existing significant threats to municipal drinking water sources and prevent new significant threats from occurring. Landowners with “significant threat” activities on their property will be required to follow Source Protection Plan policies. Examples of things that could be a “significant threat” in a vulnerable area include septic systems, fuel storage, or application of pesticides.
The Plan is guided by a Committee made up of members of the general public and representatives of municipalities, aggregate/ oil and gas, industry, agriculture, and First
Nations from across the region. The Conservation Authorities provide the administrative and technical support to the Committee.
Who created the Source Protection Plan?
