Source Water Protection Plan

Source water is the untreated water from streams, lakes, rivers or underground aquifers that is used to supply people with drinking water.

Source water protection is about protecting sources of drinking water from overuse and contamination. It’s one component of Ontario’s multi-barrier approach to ensure clean and safe drinking water from source to tap. The best way to ensure we have safe drinking water now, and in the future, is to protect it at its source.

Pursuant to the Clean Water Act, the South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Plan (SPP) was approved by the Ministry of the Environment on January 26, 2015 and became effective on July 1, 2015. The South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Region provides drinking water to residents through 107 drinking water systems, 275 municipal wells and 16 surface water intakes.

The SPP is a science-based plan to protect our municipal drinking water supply from threats of contamination and overuse. Policies in the SPP require government, businesses, developers and residents to take action to make sure drinking water sources are protected from potential threats.

Wellhead Protection Areas

The Town works to proect Wellhead Protection Areas (WHPA). A WHPA is the area of land surrounding a municipal well, which contributes water to the well. Within the WHPA, protective measures are implemented to safeguard the groundwater supply from sources of contamination. Schedule 'G' of the Town's Official Plan provides a location map of the Wellhead Protection Areas.

Potential threats to drinking water sources in these areas include:

• Handling, storage and application of pesticides, fertilizers and animal waste
• Handling and storage of hazardous chemicals such as fuel and solvents
• Road salt used for de-icing roads, walkways and parking areas
• Septic systems and sewage works
• Waste disposal sites

Background

In May 2000 the water supply of the small town of Walkerton, Ontario became contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Seven residents died and thousands became ill dubbing this tragedy the worst water related outbreak in Canada. In response to the Walkerton water contamination tragedy, the Province of Ontario developed the Clean Water Act with a goal of safeguarding municipal drinking water from source to tap. Source Water Protection is now at the forefront of municipal planning.