Source Protection Committees in Ontario

Each source protection authority shall establish a drinking water source protection committee for the authority’s source protection area.

Section 7 of the Clean Water Act

There are 19 multi-stakeholder Source Protection Committees across the province representing business, public, municipal and indigenous interests. These committees have developed 38 local source protection plans that identify actions to protect sources of municipal residential drinking water systems. These plans protect almost 450 municipal drinking water systems used by over 95% of Ontario’s population.

O. Reg. 288/07: Source Protection Committees governs the structure and procedures of Source Protection Committees.

Responsibilities

Committees have 3 specific responsibilities:

• Preparing the Terms of Reference
• Preparing the Source Protection Plan
• Preparing the Assessment Report

Terms of Reference must be available to the public

The source protection committee for a source protection area shall, in accordance with the regulations, prepare terms of reference for the preparation under this Act of an assessment report and source protection plan for the source protection area.

Section 8 of the Clean Water Act

If the Minister has approved terms of reference, the source protection authority shall ensure that the terms of reference are available to the public as soon as reasonably possible on the Internet and in such other manner as the source protection authority considers appropriate.

Section 12 of the Clean Water Act

• Trent Conservation Coalition
• Cataraqui Source Protection Area
• Long Point Region Source Protection Area
• Quinte Source Protection Area

Source Protection Plan must be available to the public

Source protection plans contain a series of locally developed policies that, as they are implemented, protect existing and future sources of municipal drinking water.

The source protection committee for a source protection area shall, in accordance with the regulations and the terms of reference, prepare a source protection plan for the source protection area.

Section 22 of the Clean Water Act

If the Minister has approved a source protection plan, the source protection authority shall ensure that the plan is available to the public on the Internet and in such other manner as the source protection authority considers appropriate.

Section 32 of the Clean Water Act

• Catfish Creek Source Protection Area
• CTC Source Protection Region
• Greater Sudbury Source Protection Area
• Lakehead Region Conservation Authority
• Maitland Valley
• Trent Conservation Coalition

Assessment Report must be available to the public

Municipalities, source protection authorities, local health boards, the Province and others, are implementing source protection plan policies, and are reporting on progress on a yearly basis.

The source protection committee for a source protection area shall prepare an assessment report for the source protection area in accordance with the regulations, the rules and the terms of reference.

Section 15 of the Clean Water Act

If the Director has approved an assessment report, the source protection authority shall ensure that the report is available to the public as soon as reasonably possible on the Internet and in such other manner as the source protection authority considers appropriate.

Section 20 of the Clean Water Act

• CTC Source Protection Region
• Halton-Hamilton Source Protection Region
• Lakehead Region Conservation Authority
• Maitland Valley

Municipalities must comply with the Source Protection Plan

A municipality, local board or source protection authority shall comply with any obligation that is imposed on it by a significant threat policy or designated Great Lakes policy that is set out in the source protection plan.

Section 38 of the Clean Water Act

Source Protection Regions (SPR) and Areas (SPA)

Most Conservation Authorities (CA) in Ontario also act as their local Source Protection Authority. There are 36 CAs and 38 SPAs. The 2 extra SPAs – Severn Sound and Northern Bruce Peninsula – are not tied to any CA. In addition, specific legal designations mean some SPAs operate as distinct entities even within a CA’s boundary.

Source protection plans cover the following regions:

• Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley
• Cataraqui
• Catfish Creek
• Credit Valley, Toronto Region, and Central Lake Ontario Region
• Essex Region
• Grand River
• Halton-Hamilton Region
• Kettle Creek
• Lakehead
• Long Point Region
• Mattagami Region
• Mississippi-Rideau
• Niagara Peninsula
• North Bay-Mattawa
• Quinte
• Raisin-South Nation
• Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region
• Sault Ste. Marie
• South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe
• Sudbury
• Thames-Sydenham and Region
• Trent