Water is critical to all aspects of our lives. We need to protect the sources of our drinking water to safeguard the health of Ontario residents and ensure there is enough water for everyone -- now and in the future.
Whether we live in an rural or urban area, our drinking water comes from lakes, rivers, streams or underground sources (aquifers) located across the province. All of these sources of water are linked in a watershed through the water cycle.
Drinking water sources can be easily contaminated and have a limited tolerance for stress. Long term problems can develop that are costly or even impossible to correct.
In order to make sure we have enough clean water for drinking and other uses, we need to protect our sources of drinking water by managing the influences on them. The best way to protect these sources is on a watershed basis because water flows across municipal boundaries.
Drinking water is best protected by taking an approach that uses multiple barriers to prevent contamination from affecting our drinking water. Known as the Multi barrier approach, it includes:
- taking actions to prevent contamination of sources of our water
- using adequate water treatment and distribution systems
- water testing
- training of water managers.
In 2000, the Walkerton tragedy showed us how vulnerable our drinking water can be when not managed properly. One key recommendation from the Walkerton Report was to use the multi-barrier approach, where source water protection is considered the first barrier to ensuring safe drinking water.
Crowe Valley Conservation Authority has partnered with four other Conservation Authorities in the region (Lower Trent Conservation Authority, Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, Kawartha Region Conservation Authority) to start to develop an understanding of the sources of our drinking water. Under the umbrella of the Trent Conservation Coalition, we will be working with our municipalities, other stakeholders and the public to facilitate the development of plans that will serve to protect our drinking water while taking into account the other needs of our communities.
For more information
- Source Water Protection: Trent Conservation Coalition - For more local information
- Clean Water Act news release - News release and background from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
- Drinking Water Ontario Portal - For addition information on Ontario's drinking water.
- Clean Water Act page - A web page devoted to the Clean Water Act, created by the Ministry of Environment.
- Conservation Ontario - Resources on source water protection from the umbrella group representing Ontario 's 36 conservation authorities.