Source Water Protection

What is Source Water Protection?

Source water is the raw water that we take from lakes, rivers or underground aquifers to supply people with drinking water. "Source Water Protection" or "Source Protection" means protecting these sources of drinking water from contamination and overuse.

If you live in a Drinking Water Protection Zone you can help protect the Source Water by making small changes in your everyday life. You may already be doing things such as using environmentally friendly cleaning products, properly disposing of hazardous substances, cleaning up pet waste, regularly testing your well water and maintaining your vehicle to prevent fluid leeks. 

For more information, contact the Planner or the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region website.

Source Water Protection Plan

The Ministry of Environment approved the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan August 28, 2014. The two Conservation Authorities worked together to develop the Source Protection Plan, required by Ontario's Clean Water Act, 2006. The science based plan sets out policies to keep pollutants out of rivers and underground aquifers that supply municipal drinking water systems in the region.

Intake Protection Zone

In Tay Valley Township, the area along the Tay River is in the "Intake Protection Zone" for the municipal water supply for the Town of Perth. The Source Water Protection Plan developed for this region identifies different sub-zones, the risks and protection measures for properties there.

Vulnerability Scores

Contaminants spilled into waterways or running off from nearby land can reach an intake within hours. It is possible for the Municipal water intake to be closed until the pollutant passes by; however, enough warning is needed to close the intake.

Water movement in the area has been analyzed to determine the length of time it takes for a contaminant to reach an intake. The information has been used to draw “lines” called Intake Protection Zones (IPZ). The zones were assigned vulnerability scores on a 10 point scale.

IPZ Scored 10 is the area immediately adjacent to the intake and it’s the area of highest concern. Pollutants entering this zone can reach intake quickly with little or no dilution.

IPZ Scored 8 and 9 is based on the calculation of how far water can travel in a precise time period. The zone has been determined by factoring flow, wind and other environmental impacts.

New Source Water Protection Map!

Visit the new Source Water Protection Map now available on Ontario.ca. 

This interactive map provides the first provincial view of the more than 970 wellhead protection areas and 150 intake protection zones within the source protection areas in Ontario.  You can access over 20 layers of information every time you do a customized search. 

For the first time, the public will be able to see the wellhead protection areas and intake protection zones of the lakes, rivers and aquifers that supply their drinking water. 
This tool provides the public with information needed to make informed property-based decisions.  As well, this tool will help ministries and other agencies implement source protection plan policies.

A link to the map can be found in the updated General Messages page of the Source Water Protection Resource Catalogue available on Conservation Ontario’s website.