Source Protection Plan

Under Ontario’s Clean Water Act (2006), municipalities and conservation authorities developed Source Protection Plans to safeguard municipal drinking water. These plans:

  • Identify vulnerable areas around municipal water sources
  • List activities that may pose a risk to water quality and water quantity
  • Include policies to reduce these risks

The Grand River Source Protection Plan first took effect on July 1, 2016, following public consultation and direct notification to affected property owners.

Source Water Protection Program

The City of Brantford is committed to the delivery of safe, high quality drinking water to the residents and businesses of our community. Brantford is located in the Grand River watershed. Brantford’s source water protection policies are part of the Grand River Source Protection Plan, which is in turn part of the Lake Erie Source Protection Region. An amendment to the Grand River Source Protection Plan was completed under Section 34 of the Clean Water Act, 2006 and was approved on July 29, 2025. The City of Brantford, the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Source Protection Committee invited residents, businesses and organizations to provide information about, and receive feedback on Brantford’s Source Protection Plan as it was developed.

Publications and Resources

The Grand River Source Protection Plan establishes the policies and programs for managing significant drinking water threats and identifies the following:

Restricted Land Use Declaration Form

The City of Brantford is responsible for reviewing development and building permit applications to ensure there are no source water protection concerns. This includes enforcing restrictions in vulnerable areas for high-risk activities, negotiating risk management plans to address drinking water threats, and creating educational programs to safeguard our drinking water sources.

The Restricted Land Use Declaration form is required for certain development and building permit applications that are partially or entirely located within an Intake Protection Zone. This form serves as an official declaration of the activities that will take place on the property and is used to assess whether additional Source Water Protection policy requirements are needed.

If you would like more information to determine whether your property is within an Intake Protection Zone or if your application requires the completion of the Restricted Land Use Declaration form, please contact sourceprotection@brantford.ca or call 519-759-4150 Ext. 5829.

Restricted Land Use Declaration Form

The fee for reviewing the Restricted Land Use Declaration Form is $60.93 ($62.15 in 2026 ). Additional fees may apply if a Risk Management Plan is necessary. After reviewing the Restricted Land Use Declaration form and processing the fee, the Risk Management Official (RMO) will issue a notice under Section 59 of the Clean Water Act, 2006, indicating whether the application can proceed without any further requirements or if a Source Protection policy requirement is applicable.

Salt and Snow Management

Road salt and snow plowing help keep our outdoor surfaces safe, but also impact water quality in the Grand River. Learn more by visiting our Salt and snow management page.

Pesticide Management

Pesticides are commonly used to get rid of unwanted insects and weeds, but also impact water quality in the Grand River. Learn more by visiting our Pesticide management page.