The Quinte Source Protection Committee (QSPC) is a joint committee and local board.
The committee oversees the science-based planning process and developed a Terms of Reference, an Assessment Reports and a Source Protection Plan to protect municipal sources of drinking water in the Quinte Source Protection Area.
Originally formed in 2007, it was created according to O. Reg. 288/07 as outlined in the Clean Water Act.
Governance
The Quinte Source Protection Committee is made up of 18 members, plus the chair. There are 4 municipal representatives, 4 economic sector representatives, including agriculture, commerce, and industry, four other representatives including the general public, environmental, etc., and 2 First Nations representatives. The remaining 3 seats are non-voting positions reserved for the following partners:
- Quinte Source Protection Authority (Quinte Conservation)
- The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks
- The Hastings and Prince Edward Public Health
Non-voting liaison members including a representative of the Source Protection Authority, the local Health Unit, and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks may also serve on the Committee.
The regulation states that the “Municipal Sector” will have 1/3 of the seats on the Source Protection Committee. The agriculture sector has 2 seats on the committee. There are 2 seats for industry and business; 1 for large industry/business and 1 for small industry/business. The fifth seat in the Economic Sector is reserved for a representative from tourism and recreation. Local environmental associations have 1 seat on the committee.
As of June 11, 2025 its members are:
- Municipal
- Councillor Thompson – Belleville
- Councillor Henderson, Alternate (2025-104) – Belleville
- Kayla Beach-Courtney – Prince Edward County
- Vacant – Northern Groundwater Systems
- Vacant – All municipalities without a municipal drinking water system
- Economic
- Heather Lang
- Jack Alexander
- Phillip Norton
- Sandra Latchford
- General Public
- Gillian Ward
- Josh Powles
- Mel Plewes
- Terry Kennedy
- First Nations
- Curtis Maracle
- Vacant
- Liasons
- Bill Sherlock, South East Health Unit
- Jessica Eisnor, South East Health Unit
- Mike Kerby, Source Protection Authority
Meetings
Work
Source Protection Plan
The primary purpose of a Source Protection Plan is to protect municipal drinking water sources from contamination and overuse. The plan, created under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006, outlines a set of policies developed by the Quinte Region Source Protection Committee to address all the significant threats and some moderate and low threats identified in the
Assessment Report.There are four municipal groundwater wells and seven municipal surface water intake systems
in the Quinte Region. These municipal drinking water systems provide water for half of the
residents in the region, with the remaining residents obtaining their water from private
groundwater wells, shore wells or directly from a river or lake. Policies in the Source Protection
Plan will address threats to drinking water.
Assessment Report
The Assessment Report describes the vulnerable areas around each municipal drinking water system where spills, pollution, contamination and overuse could harm the source water. Threats to water quality and quantity are identified and ranked as low, moderate or significant.
Terms of Reference
Quinte Source Protection Committee is governed by the Source Protection Committee Member’s Handbook:
