Welcome to the web site promoting drinking water source protection in the Lakehead Source Protection Area.

This site contains valuable information on source water protection and the "Clean Water Act", as well as the most reliable and up-to-date information on local source protection initiatives to protect the sources of Municipal residential drinking water.

Source Water Protection Interactive Map - English

The Lakehead Source Protection Committee and Lakehead Source Protection Authority are pleased to announce the approval of the Lakehead Source Protection Plan and the Explanatory Document for the Lakehead Source Protection Area by the Ministry of the Environment. The Approval Letter can be viewed here.

The Approved Plan can be viewed here:

Approved Lakehead Source Protection Plan

The Lakehead Source Protection Committee

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The Lakehead Source Protection Committee and Lakehead Source Protection Authority are pleased to announce the approval of the Assessment Report. The Approved Assessment Report can be viewed here:

Approved Assessment Report

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The Lakehead Source Protection Committee, through resources provided by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, is overseeing work of the Lakehead Source Protection Committee to develop a Source Protection Plan to protect the sources of Municipal residential drinking water in the watershed defined as the Lakehead Source Protection Area.

The Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment is funding Conservation Authorities to coordinate source water protection at the local level.

Work on the development of the local Source Protection Plan began in July 2007 with the passing of the "Clean Water Act". The Lakehead Source Protection Authority and subsequently, the Lakehead Source Protection Committee were formed under Regulation of the "ACT".

The "Clean Water Act" requires that Source Protection Authorities and Source Protection Committees formed across the province work together with their local Municipalities and stakeholders to develop watershed-based source protection plans for their defined Source Protection Areas or Regions.

These plans will focus on protecting source water that supplies Municipal residential drinking water systems. Source Protection Plans for the 19 Source Protection Area and Regions across Ontario are expected to be completed by August 2012.

Source Protection Planning Process

The Lakehead Source Protection Committee is developing a Source Protection Plan under Regulation of the "Clean Water Act" to protect the source water for the only two indentified local Municipal residential drinking water systems in the Lakehead Source Protection Area.

The Bare Point Water Treatment Plant supplies the City of Thunder Bay with its Municipal residential drinking water. Lake Superior is the source of water for the City of Thunder Bay's Municipal drinking water system with the surface water intake located 750 metres off shore at Bare Point. Bare Point is the single source of Municipal residential drinking water for the City of Thunder Bay, serving a population of over 100,000.

Rosslyn Village, located in the Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, has the only other Municipal residential drinking system in the Lakehead Source Protection Area. The Rosslyn Village Municipal system draws its water from two groundwater wells, which are operated alternately and supplies about 30 homes in the village.