Source Water Protection
The provincial government passed the Clean Water Act in 2006 to protect sources of municipal drinking water. Under the Clean Water Act, Source Protection Committees were formed with members throughout each Ontario watershed. The City of Brantford is part of the Lake Erie Region Source Protection Committee led by the Grand River Conservation Authority. The committee is required to develop terms of reference, science based assessment reports, and source protection plans.
The Terms of Reference, outlining the steps to develop the Assessment Report and Source Protection Plan, was approved by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) on July 13, 2009.
The City of Brantford completed technical studies to determine vulnerable areas around the drinking water intake as well as identify significant threats and issues that could occur in the those areas. These technical studies were completed in August 2010, and incorporated into the proposed Grand River Assessment Report, which is awaiting MOE approval. The Assessment Report is posted at the Source Water Website and available at the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) office, 400 Clyde Rd., Cambridge, and Brantford City Hall, 100 Wellington Square, Brantford.
A public meeting was held on June 29, 2010 for property owners within the vulnerable areas. The notice for this public meeting is available for download as well as the presentation given during the meeting, (see at bottom of this page). Another public meeting will be held after the Assessment Report is released and notice will be advertised in the local area newspapers.
Next Public Meeting
The next stage is to prepare the Source Protection Plan with policies to reduce, manage, or eliminate the threats described in the Assessment Report. A public information session on these next steps will be held in Brantford on May 31, 7pm-9pm at the Best Western, 19 Holiday Drive. This meeting will allow the public to find out what has occurred during the Assessment Report process and what is anticipated during the source protection planning process.
Individual property owners can undertake projects to protect drinking water sources. Grants are available to pay significant portions of the cost of these projects. These grants are available under the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program to property owners within the Intake Protection Zone.
How were Drinking Water Protection Areas identified? click for more information on Intake Protection Zones
What is the City of Brantford Doing to Protect Local Intake Protection Zones? click for more information
Drinking Water Protection Signs click to find out why they are being posted.
Contact the GRCA at 519-621-2273 or click to be redirected to the Drinking Water Source Protection Website for more information
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