Displaying items by tag: clean water act

Oct. 7, 2019 – Several changes are in the works for drinking water protection zones and chemical storage rules in the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region.

Under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, municipal drinking water sources such as lakes, rivers and wells are protected from contamination through a combination of intake and wellhead protection zones, rules for chemical use and other threats, and risk management plans for landowners whose activities pose a risk to drinking water supplies.

The changes:

There are two proposed amendments to the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan and Assessment Report under Section 34 of the Clean Water Act.

1. North Grenville municipal well:

In 2015, a new municipal well was constructed in Kemptville in the Municipality of North Grenville. The proposed amendment will bring the well under the same Clean Water Act protections as the region’s 13 other municipal systems, as required by law. The amendment will include revised Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA) mapping for North Grenville and the Village of Merrickville-Wolford (groundwater flow to the Merrickville-Wolford system is affected by pumping at the new well in Kemptville.)

The updated maps could affect landowners if they engage in certain activities that pose potentially significant drinking water threats. In these cases, risk management staff will work with the owners to manage the threats through custom risk management plans. 

2. Chemical policy revision:

The Source Protection Committee also wants to tweak its rules regarding Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) – industrial chemicals that are denser than water. If spilled, they tend to sink into the ground and even in small amounts can contaminate the deepest groundwater sources.

Currently, any businesses established after Jan. 1, 2015 which store or handle DNAPLs are banned in areas where they could pose a significant drinking water threat, specifically in Intake Protection Zone-1 and Wellhead Protection Areas A, B and C. For some municipalities, the affected area can be quite large.

When developing risk management policies for DNAPLs, the committee expected to find these chemicals only in large quantities (i.e. industrial drums) at dry cleaning or manufacturing facilities. But after completing detailed background research and site visits, the committee realized DNAPL chemicals can also be found in small quantities, particularly in auto repair shops (i.e. chlorinated brake cleaner in aerosol cans).

With such large prohibition zones in some parts of the region, the restrictions could create unnecessary barriers for small business development in the future. The committee has proposed an amendment to make life a bit easier for small businesses in these zones, while still ensuring drinking water is protected.  

Under the new policy, storage and handling of any amount of DNAPLs within areas of the highest vulnerability (score of 10) will remain prohibited. But the storage and handling of DNAPLs in quantities of less than 25 liters within WHPA B and C (scores 4 to 8) will now be permitted, if accompanied by a risk management plan. Storing or using large quantities of DNAPLs (more than 25 liters) within WHPA B and C will be banned.

Retail stores selling unopened containers are exempt from these rules, except for areas with the highest vulnerability.

How to view the amendments:

The proposed amendments are available on the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region website at www.mrsourcewater.ca/en/public-consultation.

They can also be viewed in person at:

• Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, 10970 Hwy. 7 Carleton Place, ON (8 am – 4 pm)

• Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, 3889 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick, ON (8:30 am – 4:30 pm)

Residents and business owners are invited to provide written comments before Nov. 7, 2019.

For more information or to provide comments, please contact:

Marika Livingston

Project Manager

Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region

613-692-3571, ext. 1148.

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MISSISSIPPI AND RIDEAU WATERSHEDS, May 2, 2022 — On April 20, 2022 the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) approved an amendment to the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan and the Rideau Valley Assessment Report. The approved amendment took effect on April 28, 2022. 

This amendment reflects a new well to an existing municipal well system in the community of Kemptville which is owned and operated by the Municipality of North Grenville. The Kemptville well system serves approximately 5,000 people residing in the community. 

The well system affects two existing Wellhead Protection Areas in the Source Protection Plan and Assessment Report, the Merrickville Wellhead Protection Area in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and the existing Kemptville Wellhead Protection Area. An amendment to the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan (including the Rideau Valley Assessment Report) is necessary to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. 

“These amendments ensure municipal drinking water systems continue to be protected through the drinking water source protection program,” said Laura Cummings, Project Manager for the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region. 

Drinking water sources in the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region include groundwater, drawn from aquifers underground, and water drawn from rivers. The Source Protection Plan sets out policies that use a variety of tools to protect municipal drinking water sources from contamination. These tools include education, risk management planning, prohibition and land use planning. Policies in the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan first came into effect on January 1, 2015. Visit the Region’s local website at https://www.mrsourcewater.ca to find out more.

The Notice of Approval of the amended Assessment Report and Source Protection Plan for the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region is also posted on Ontario’s Environmental Registry at https://ero.ontario.ca/. 

If you have questions about the approved changes, please contact Laura Cummings at 613-692-3571 ext. 1148 or . 

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Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Source Protection Authorities
Laura Cummings
3889 Rideau Valley Drive, PO Box 599
Manotick ON  K4M 1A5
613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1148

MISSISSIPPI AND RIDEAU WATERSHEDS, September 22, 2022 — The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is seeking a dedicated new Chairperson to lead the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Committee.

Under the Clean Water Act of 2006, 19 local watershed-based source protection committees have been established across the province. These committees include representatives from local watershed stakeholders such as municipalities, agricultural groups, landowners, industry, environmental organizations and the public at large. As outlined in the legislation, the Minister is responsible for appointing a Chair to each of these committees.

Each committee, under the leadership and guidance of their Chair, is responsible for upholding and implementing the source protection plans that have been developed to protect municipal drinking water systems across Ontario, as well as their terms of reference and assessment reports. Chairs play an important role in guiding their committees in reporting on implementation of these plans and ensuring they remain relevant through future updates.

“If you have leadership experience and an interest in protecting drinking water sources, we encourage you to apply,” said Marika Livingston, Mississippi-Rideau Source Water Protection Project Manager. “We are proud of the work that has been done to ensure our region has a strong safety net to protect our drinking water, but there is more work to be done. We need a leader willing to guide and support our committee as we work though some major program updates and changes.” 

Among other qualifications, the Chair position requires a multi-year commitment, an ability to understand scientific and technical reports and attendance at the several Source Protection Committee meetings held each year. Applicants must also live or work in the Mississippi or Rideau watersheds.

Further details regarding this part-time position, including descriptions of roles and responsibilities and an application form, are available online at https://www.pas.gov.on.ca/Home/Advertisement/750.  A small per diem as well as expenses (mileage and meals) will be paid while working on Source Protection business. 

Applications will be accepted until October 3, 2022. 

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Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Source Protection Authorities
Marika Livingston, Project Manager
3889 Rideau Valley Drive, PO Box 599
Manotick ON  K4M 1A5
613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1148