Eastern Ontario
Conservation
Authorities
Planning for Clean Water:
Next Steps for Drinking Water
Source Protection
OEMC September 13, 2012

What is Source Water Protection?
It’s Prevention!
Taking steps to keep contaminants out of
drinking water sources such as rivers, lakes
and groundwater
It’s Part of a Multi-Barrier Approach
“The best way to achieve a healthy public water
supply is to put in place multiple barriers that
keep water contaminants from reaching people”
“A degree of redundancy guards against the
failure of any one barrier.”
Justice Dennis O’Connor
OEMC September 13, 2012

Why Protect Source Water?
• Water treatment is not always enough
Water treatment systems don’t remove all contaminants, particularly chemicals such as fuels and
solvents. The safest approach is to prevent contamination.
• Prevention saves money
It’s much cheaper to keep water clean than it is to try and remove contaminants. Clean-up
costs can reach millions of dollars and severely impact municipalities, businesses and individuals.
• Contamination can ruin a water source forever
Sometimes contamination cannot be removed forcing a water supply to be sealed off and an
alternative source of water provided.
• Source protection has other benefits
Clean and plentiful sources of drinking water support economic growth, tourism, recreation, and
fish and wildlife habitat.
OEMC September 13, 2012

How Do We Protect Source Water?
Ontario’s Clean Water Act was
introduced in 2006
• Focus is protecting sources of
municipal drinking water
• Approach is developing
Science-based policies
• Decisions are made at the
local watershed scale
OEMC September 13, 2012

Source Protection Areas & Regions
OEMC September 13, 2012

Source Protection Committees
• Chair
• 1/3 Municipal Reps
Members of council and staff
Municipal Economic
• 1/3 Economic Sector Reps Interests Interests
Agriculture, industry, small business…
• 1/3 Public Interest Reps
Public
First Nations, environment, public… Interests
• 3 Non-voting Liaison Members
Representing MOE, SPAs & Health Units
OEMC September 13, 2012

Key Steps
Source Protection Committee 2007
Assessment Report 2009 - 2011
Source Protection Plan 2010 - 2012
Plan Approval & Implementation 2013+
First Progress Report 2015
Update Assessment Report and Plan
OEMC September 13, 2012

Source Protection Process:
1. Identify Vulnerable Areas (drinking water sources)
Assessment
Report
• Wellhead Protection Areas municipal drinking water
• Intake Protection Zones municipal drinking water
• Highly Vulnerable Aquifers private wells
2. Identify Drinking Water Threats
MOE
• 21 “prescribed drinking water threats”
• Also opportunity to add other threats locally
Protection
Source
3. Address Drinking Water Threats
Plan
• Consider existing legislation and requirements
• Develop additional policies where necessary to manage or prohibit
OEMC September 13, 2012

Wellhead Protection Areas
OEMC September 13, 2012

Westport Wellhead Protection Area
OEMC September 13, 2012

MOE’s Designated Significant Threats
Wellhead Intake
Protection Protection
MOE Drinking Water Threat Categories Area Zone
10 8 10 9 8.1 / 8
Waste Disposal Site (establishment, operation or maintenance)     
Sewage System (establishment, operation or maintenance)     
Agricultural Source Material (ASM) (application, handling and storage)    
Non-Agricultural Source Material (NASM) (application, handling and storage)    
Aquaculture    
Outdoor Livestock Areas (grazing, pasturing, outdoor
   
confinement area, farm-animal yard)
Commercial Fertilizer (application, handling and storage)   
Pesticides (application, handling and storage)     
Road Salt (application, handling and storage)   
Snow (storage)   
Fuel (handling and storage)  
Anywhere in 5
Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) (handling and storage) year time of 
travel
Organic Solvent (handling and storage)  
De-icing of Aircraft (management of runoff )   
*DNAPLs are chemicals that sink in water and have low solubility (e.g. trichloroethylene)
OEMC September 13, 2012

Where Policies Will Apply
• Small Areas
Mississippi-Rideau
 12 areas covering less than 1.5% of the watersheds
Cataraqui
 12 areas covering less than 1% of the watershed
• Few Activities
• Mississippi-Rideau
 330 potential activities on 300+ property parcels
• Cataraqui
 158 potential activities on 114 property parcels
• Additional requirements or prohibition only if necessary
 Many activities are already adequately managed to protect
drinking water
OEMC September 13, 2012

Highly Vulnerable Aquifers
OEMC September 13, 2012

Policy Toolbox
Address Address
Policy Tool
Significant Threats Moderate & Low Threats
Education & Outreach  
Municipality / CA must comply
Incentive Programs  
Municipality / CA must comply
Specify Action  
Municipality / CA must comply
Prescribed Instruments  
Must Conform Must Have Regard
Land Use Planning  
Must Conform Must Have Regard
Risk Management Plans  X
(under the Clean Water Act) Must Comply
Prohibition  X
(under the Clean Water Act) Must Comply
OEMC September 13, 2012

Policy Development:
Approve Ministry of the Environment
Source Protection Authority
Submit
(Conservation Authority Board of Directors)
Develop Source Protection Committee
Municipalities Property Owners Interested Groups
Other Implementers Business Owners General Public
Sector Experts
Neighbouring Regions
OEMC September 13, 2012

The Result…
OEMC September 13, 2012

General Policy Approach in Eastern Ontario
• Education – across the board for most threats
• Manage – generally all existing activities and some future activities
• Prohibit – some future activities
Managing Activities:
• Rely on existing requirements where possible (business as usual)
• Add new requirements if necessary (inspection, change in practice)
Prohibiting Future Activities:
• Those that are large scale, high risk or have little local impact
Implementation:
• First choice – provincial prescribed instruments
• Second choice – other existing tools or programs
• Third choice – Risk Management Official tools
OEMC September 13, 2012

Mississippi-Rideau
Example
WHPA Scored 10
Prohibit (future):
•Waste disposal sites
•Sewage works such as industrial
effluent, combined sewers and
sewage treatment plants
•Snow dumps and road salt storage
•DNAPLs and organic solvents
•Fuel storage at licensed facilities
such as at gas stations
• Commercial (non-farm) pesticide
and fertilizer storage
•Aircraft de-icing
Manage: WHPA Scored 8
•On-site sewage systems
(mandatory inspections) Prohibit (future):
• Sanitary sewers •Waste disposal sites
(regular inspections and maintenance) •Sewage works: industrial WHPA - C
•Road salt application effluent, combined sewers and
(Management Plans / Smart Salt Practices) sewage treatment plants Prohibit (future):
•DNAPLs, organic solvents, fuel •DNAPLs •DNAPLs
stored at private outlets, commercial
fertilizer, ASM, NASM, outdoor Manage: Manage:
livestock areas •Existing DNAPLs •Existing DNAPLs
(Risk Management Plans) (Risk Management Plan) (Risk Management Plan)
OEMC September 13, 2012

Next Steps
Source Protection Plan Approval:
• Plans submitted to MOE in August, 2012 – approval is expected in 2013
Types of Implementation Activities that Could Affect Municipalities:
• On-site Sewage System Maintenance Inspection Program
o Inspection every 5 years in WHPAs and IPZs scored 10
• Land Use Planning
o Update OP and zoning during next 5 year review
o Screen planning and development applications in vulnerable areas
• Municipal Bylaws
o Update or create municipal bylaws (e.g. sewer use bylaw)
• Risk Management Official
o Enforce some prohibition and negotiate Risk Management Plans
• Municipal Activities
o Salt Management Plans, sanitary sewer inspections…
• Public Education
OEMC September 13, 2012

Preparing for Implementation
Resources & Delivery:
• Working group meetings are taking place with municipal staff
• “How To” guidance is being developed at the request of municipalities
o Sample wording (OP, zoning, bylaws)
o Templates (Salt Management Plans)
• Education materials are being developed provincially
• Risk Management Official duties can be delegated – discussion underway
Funding:
• Lobbying for provincial implementation funding
o This could cover Risk Management Official costs
• Lobbying for provincial stewardship funding to continue beyond 2012
OEMC September 13, 2012

More Information:
Cataraqui: Rob McRae, Project Manager
robmcrae@cataraquiregion.on.ca
613-546-4228 or 1-877-956-2722 ext. 224
www.cleanwatercataraqui.ca
Mississippi-Rideau: Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, Co-Project Manager
sommer.robertson@mrsourcewater.ca
613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1147
www.mrsourcewater.ca
Quinte: Keith Taylor, Project Manager
ktaylor@quinteconservation.ca
613-968-3434 ext. 114
www.quintesourcewater.ca
Raisin-South Nation: Richard Pilon, Project Manager
rpilon@nation.on.ca
613-938-3611 or 1-866-938-3611 ext. 224
www.yourdrinkingwater.ca
Trent: Jennifer Stephens, Project Manager
jennifer.stephens@ltc.on.ca
613-394-3915 ext. 246
OEMC September 13, 2012 www.trentsourceprotection.on.ca