The Source Protection Planning Process and Where We are Today
The Clean Water Act (CWA) sets out a four stage process for Source Water Protection. Ratified by the Ontario Government in 2006, the Act was fashioned to ensure safe drinking water for Ontario residents from ‘source to tap’. Stage one was the initial phase of the process and involved establishing Source Protection Areas and Source Protection Authorities (SPAs) as well as launching technical studies. Under the CWA, the area of jurisdiction for each Conservation Authority (CA) is generally designated the drinking water Source Protection Area and the CA acts as the drinking water SPA. The Source Protection program is lead by a committee made up of various stakeholders and is administered locally in our case by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).
Niagara Source Protection Area (NPSPA)
The NPCA is a stand alone authority, also referred to as the Niagara Peninsula Source Protection Area (NPSPA). In other places when deemed advisable by the province, two or more SPAs are combined to form Source Protection Regions. An example is the Hamilton and Halton Conservation Authorities, which form the Hamilton-Halton Source Protection Region. Under the Act, the 36 CAs in Ontario have been grouped into 19 Source Protection Areas and Regions. In total, there are 11 Source Protection Regions of 2 or more CAs and 8 Source Protection Areas that stand alone. Source Protection Regions will have one CA appointed the lead, who has established the Source Protection Committee (SPC), and provides support to the committee throughout the entire process.
Niagara Peninsula Source Protection Committee (SPC)
Stage One of the Source Protection Planning Process also involves selecting a SPC for each Source Protection Area and Region. The SPC is responsible for the key reports throughout the Source Planning Protection Process beginning with the Terms of Reference (TOR), followed by the Assessment Report and finally the Source Protection Plan (SPP). Formed in 2007, the Niagara Peninsula SPC is a multi-stakeholder group with nine members plus a Chair appointed by the province. It is comprised of three sectors, with equal representation from three municipal representatives, three members from the general public, and one member each from agriculture, industry, and business. The ultimate goal of the SPC is to develop Source Protection Plans and implement strategies for safeguarding the watershed’s surface and ground water sources from contamination and overuse.
Terms of Reference (TOR)
The first major task for the SPC was to prepare a TOR which identified the details of tasks to be completed, including parties responsible for conducting the work, and estimates for time and budgets. The Terms of Reference involved a significant public consultation process and was approved by the MOE in the spring of 2009. Tasks in the TOR include mapping vulnerable areas around municipal drinking water sources and identifying and assessing risks to the municipal drinking water supply.
Click here for more information on the development of the TOR
Assessment Report (AR)
Stage two involves the preparation of the AR due in 2010. The AR looks at the watershed in its entirety and seeks to understand surface and ground water characteristics and which vulnerable areas need protection. AR content is based on three main documents; the Clean Water Act, 2006 (CWA), Ontario Regulation 287/07 (General Regulation), and the Technical Rules: AR Clean Water Act (December 12, 2008). The primary goal of the AR is to provide the necessary information to the establish source protection plan and make local policy decisions for the management and protection of our drinking water sources.
Several technical studies have been initiated by the NPCA and also Regional Municipality of Niagara under the source protection program and the results of these will be included in the AR. Technical studies in the following areas are being prepared according to provincial regulations and AR Technical Rules:
- Watershed Characterization Report
- Water Budget and Water Quantity Threats Assessment
- Groundwater Vulnerability
- Surface Water Vulnerability
- Threats Inventory and Issues Evaluation
Source Protection Plan (SPP)
Stage Three of the Source Protection process will be the development of the Source Protection Plan following approval of the AR by the MOE. The plan will build on information from the AR, setting out policies and risk management strategies to address any significant threats to the municipal drinking water supply.
The following tools may be incorporated in policies of the source protection plan:
- Education and Outreach measures and incentive programs to promote awareness of measures that residents and property owners can take to protect drinking water sources.
- Utilizing the province’s Planning Act to address significant threats to drinking water supplies.
- Possible regulation of activities that are, or would be, significant threats through a Risk Management Plan.
Prohibition of activities that are, or would be, significant threats to drinking water supplies particularly when other alternatives are not viable.
Implementation
Stage Four is the final stage and involves executing the SPP. These municipalities will be substantially involved with the implementation of the SPP policies, as implementation may require amendments to Official Plans and revision to land-use zoning to abide by the goals expressed in the SPP.
Our Current Focus: Stage 2 - Preparation of the Assessment Report
NPCA and Regional Municipality of Niagara are currently completing a number of technical studies that will be used in the preparation of the AR. As the studies are completed, they are presented to the SPC for review and comment. The following studies have been, or will eventually be, reviewed and received by the SPC:
- Watershed Characterization Report
- Conceptual Water Budget
- Tier 1 Water Budget
- Intake Protection Zone Delineations and Surface Water Vulnerability Studies for the six municipal water treatment plants (WTPs) owned and operated by Niagara Region. These include Grimsby, Rosehill, Niagara Falls, Decew, Welland, and Port Colborne (WTPs).
- Delineation of Significant Groundwater Recharge Areas (SGRAs) and Highly Vulnerable Aquifers (HVAs) and Assessment of Groundwater Issues
- Assessment of Threats and Issues for each of the six municipal WTP intakes and associated Intake Protection Zones.
Ensuring safe drinking water is important to the health and well-being of our communities. We all need and deserve safe drinking water and, in this regard, it is in everyone's interest to ensure that our drinking water is safe and secure. But what is the best way to keep our water safe now and in the future?
Our drinking water comes from surface water sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams, but it may also come from underground sources such as groundwater aquifers. Unfortunately, these sources of water are susceptible to contamination or overuse. Source Water Protection (SWP) is simply protecting these surface water and groundwater sources from such unwanted impacts.
SWP is the first barrier of a multi-barrier approach to ensuring safe drinking water that includes:
This multi-barrier approach was recommended in the O'Connor report, which followed from the Public Inquiry into the Walkerton tragedy. SWP is considered a key component of this approach, since the protection and enhancement of natural systems is considered one of the most effective ways of ensuring the safety of Ontario's drinking water. Also conventional water treatment methods cannot cost effectively remove many hazardous chemicals, if they are present in the source water.
