April 11, 2008

Ontario is investing more than $23 million to help conservation authorities and municipalities finish the technical studies they need to develop plans for protecting local sources of drinking water. The Halton Conservation Authority received $959,000 as lead for Hamilton and Halton.

Source protection is about safeguarding sources of drinking water — Ontario’s lakes, rivers and groundwater — by preventing them from being contaminated or depleted.

The Clean Water Act requires communities to prepare source protection plans that set out how they will protect municipal drinking water supplies.  The scientific ground work gives communities an accurate picture of their water supply, how it’s replenished and what threatens the quality of their water. They use this information to decide what action to take to reduce or eliminate the threats.

The Hamilton and Halton conservation authority have received this funding.

Investing in protecting drinking water sources is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to safeguard Ontario’s water.  Since 2004, conservation authorities and municipalities have received over $93 million dollars for technical studies and to help build community awareness.

QUOTES

“Ontario is taking real steps to protect drinking water sources now and for future generations,” said Sophia Aggelonitis, MPPHamiltonMountain.

“Our Hamilton and Halton Conservation Authorities are the experts. Our communities are all the stronger for their leader in source water protection.” Ted McMeekin, MPPAncaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale

“We recognize the government’s ongoing commitment to funding source protection planning. Communities across Ontario can now complete their supporting studies and get to work on developing effective measures to protect local drinking water sources,” said Don Pearson, General Manager, Conservation Ontario, the organization that represents Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities. 

QUICK FACTS

§         About 80 per cent of Ontarians get their drinking water from surface water sources and 20 per cent from groundwater sources.

§         Ontario is divided into 19 Source Protection Regions.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about the Clean Water Act .

Find out more about source protection planning in your local source protection region or area .