Planning for clean water

OEMC September 13, 2012

Planning for Clean Water:

Next Steps for Drinking Water

Source Protection

Eastern Ontario

Conservation

Authorities


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


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.


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

How Do We Protect Source Water?


Source Protection Areas & Regions


Source Protection Committees

• Chair

• 1/3 Municipal Reps

Members of council and staff

• 1/3 Economic Sector Reps

Agriculture, industry, small business…

• 1/3 Public Interest Reps

First Nations, environment, public…

• 3 Non-voting Liaison Members Representing MOE, SPAs & Health Units

Municipal

Interests

Economic

Interests

Public

Interests


Key Steps

Assessment Report

Source Protection Committee

Source Protection Plan

Plan Approval & Implementation

2009 - 2011

2010 - 2012

2007

2015 First Progress Report

2013+

Update Assessment Report and Plan

1. Identify Vulnerable Areas (drinking water sources)

• Wellhead Protection Areas municipal drinking water

• Intake Protection Zones municipal drinking water

• Highly Vulnerable Aquifers private wells

2. Identify Drinking Water Threats

• 21 “prescribed drinking water threats”

• Also opportunity to add other threats locally

3. Address Drinking Water Threats

• Consider existing legislation and requirements

• Develop additional policies where necessary to manage or prohibit

Source Protection Process: M

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Wellhead Protection Areas


Westport Wellhead Protection Area



MOE Drinking Water Threat Categories

Wellhead Protection

Area

Intake Protection

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)

Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) (handling and storage) Anywhere in 5 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)

MOE’s Designated Significant Threats


• 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

Where Policies Will Apply


Highly Vulnerable Aquifers

Policy Tool Address

Significant Threats

Address

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 (under the Clean Water Act)

Must Comply

X

Prohibition (under the Clean Water Act)

Must Comply

X

Policy Toolbox



Ministry of the Environment

Property Owners

Business Owners

Source Protection Committee

Source Protection Authority

(Conservation Authority Board of Directors)

Approve

Submit

Develop

Municipalities

Other Implementers

Sector Experts

Neighbouring Regions

Interested Groups

General Public

Policy Development:


The Result…


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


Mississippi-Rideau

Example

WHPA - C

Prohibit (future):

•DNAPLs

Manage:

•Existing DNAPLs (Risk Management Plan)

WHPA Scored 8

Prohibit (future):

•Waste disposal sites

•Sewage works: industrial

effluent, combined sewers and

sewage treatment plants

•DNAPLs

Manage:

•Existing DNAPLs (Risk Management Plan)

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:

•On-site sewage systems (mandatory inspections)

• Sanitary sewers (regular inspections and maintenance)

•Road salt application

(Management Plans / Smart Salt Practices)

•DNAPLs, organic solvents, fuel

stored at private outlets, commercial

fertilizer, ASM, NASM, outdoor

livestock areas (Risk Management Plans)


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

Next Steps


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

Preparing for Implementation

Cataraqui: Rob McRae, Project Manager

[email protected]

613-546-4228 or 1-877-956-2722 ext. 224

www.cleanwatercataraqui.ca

Mississippi-Rideau: Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, Co-Project Manager

[email protected]

613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1147

www.mrsourcewater.ca

Quinte: Keith Taylor, Project Manager

[email protected]

613-968-3434 ext. 114

www.quintesourcewater.ca

Raisin-South Nation: Richard Pilon, Project Manager

[email protected]

613-938-3611 or 1-866-938-3611 ext. 224

www.yourdrinkingwater.ca

Trent: Jennifer Stephens, Project Manager

[email protected]

613-394-3915 ext. 246

www.trentsourceprotection.on.ca

More Information:


Planning for clean water

Documents

source water protection

water clean

analternative source

water supply

source protection plan

drinking water threats

source protection process

ofdrinking water sources