"The Clean Water Act, 2006"

The Ontario Government passed the “Clean Water Act” (CWA) to ensure everyone in the province with the right to safe, clean drinking water. What happened in Walkerton in 2000 is not an isolated incident and the Legislation was developed to implement all of Justice O’Connor’s recommendations from the Walkerton Inquiry. The first phase of Regulations will directly address 12 and support 22 of the recommendations from the Walkerton Inquiry with the concept of prevention as the first principle in safeguarding drinking water quality and quantity.

Drinking Water Source Protection is the focus of the first phase of Regulations which came into effect with the proclamation of the Ontario government’s “Clean Water Act” (CWA) July 3, 2007.

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority (LRCA) and its Board of Directors will act as the Source Protection Authority (SPA) for the Lakehead Source Protection Area as per Regulations in the "Clean Water Act". The SPA will be responsible for coordinating the development of a Drinking Water Source Protection process for the two Municipal drinking water systems within its watershed over the next several years. The SPA will oversee the recruitment of a Source Protection Committee and its Chair.

Clean Water Act: The "Clean Water Act" and the Regulations will provide communities with the tools and process to protect their Municipal drinking water supplies through developing collaborative, locally-driven, science-based protection plans. A local Source Protection Committee (SPC) will be set up to create and implement the plan for the two Municipal drinking water systems in the Lakehead Area: • Bare Point Water Treatment Plant (City of Thunder Bay) • Rosslyn Village Municipal Drinking Water System (Municipality of Oliver-Paipoonge) The SPC through the planning process will identify any potential risks to local water sources and take action to reduce or eliminate these risks. Municipalities, Conservation Authorities, property owners, farmers, industry, community groups and the public will all work together to meet common goals.

Made possible through the support of the Government of Ontario

"Clean Water Act"

Early Actions
Funding Fact Sheet

Source Protection and the Great Lakes

Regulations

The Facts

Myths & Facts

Source Protection Plans

Roles & Responsibilities

Drinking Water Ontario