New policies geared to protect northern York Region's drinking water in effect

YorkRegion.com
July 6, 2015
By Chris Traber

New policies to protect the sources of northern York Region drinking water came into effect Canada Day.

The Source Water Protection Plan contains policies designed to prevent contaminates from industrial, agricultural and other sources from getting into municipal wells and water supplies.

The plan covers the South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Region, drinking water source protection committee chairperson Lynn Dollin explained.

“It’s partly about making good planning decisions and not allowing certain activities near municipal wellheads where they could potentially threaten the well,” said Dollin, who is also serves as Innisfil’s deputy mayor.

Activities that involve the use of chemicals, solvents, oil or gas and agricultural operations are just some that will be impacted, she said.

“They may not be a threat in and of themselves,” Dollin noted. “It will depend on where they are on the landscape and how the activity is being undertaken.”

Landowners impacted by policies in the plan may encounter additional questions. Some may get a visit from a risk management official who works for the municipality or local conservation agency. These officials are responsible for protecting our water supplies and implementing many of the policies in the plan, Dollin said.

Many people will recall the Walkerton tragedy, where seven people died and thousands became ill as a result of drinking contaminated municipal tap water. In the aftermath, the Walkerton Inquiry identified a number of measures to make sure this sort of tragedy would never happen again. Many of the recommendations have already been implemented, including requirements for better testing, training, monitoring and reporting on municipal water supplies. All these measures focus on ensuring contaminated water will not make its way to people, even if it gets into the system.

The plan is the last of the Walkerton recommendations to be put in place. It focuses on prevention - taking action to ensure contaminated water doesn’t get into municipal drinking water supplies in the first place.

Since 2007, the committee has been developing policies to protect municipal water supplies.

This committee includes representatives from industry, municipalities, local citizens and First Nations. The final outcome is the Source Protection Plan, which was approved by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on January 26, 2015 and took effect on July 1, 2015.

The South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Region comprises 52 municipalities, from Gravenhurst and parts of Haliburton in the north, to Penetanguishene and Wasaga Beach in the west, down through Shelburne and Orangeville, King Township and Whitchurch Stouffville in the south, and all the way to the City of Kawartha Lakes in the east.

The area is also home to three First Nations communities and contains 273 municipal wells and 16 surface water intakes.

For more information on source water protection, visit ourwatershed.ca.