Clean Water Act (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
The Clean Water Act is a law enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, Canada
. The purpose of this Act is to protect existing and future sources of drinking water
.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 (Bill 43) is a major part of the Ontario government’s commitment to ensuring that every Ontarian has access to safe drinking water. Protecting water at its source is the first step in the multi-barrier approach
to source water protection
. By stopping contaminants from getting into sources of drinking water — lakes, rivers and aquifers — we can provide the first line of defense in the protection of our environment and the health of Ontarians.
For the first time, communities will be required to create and carry out a plan to protect the sources of their municipal drinking water supplies. The Clean Water Act, 2006 will:
This legislation sets out a basic framework for the establishment of community based groups that represent a cross section of sectors and geographic areas within Conservation Authority (Canada) boundaries. These community based groups are called Source Protection Committees
and there are 19 such groups across Ontario.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 also introduced the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program (ODWSP) a financial assistance program for farmers, landowners and small or medium businesses for activities that reduce threats to municipal drinking water sources.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The purpose of this Act is to protect existing and future sources of drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 (Bill 43) is a major part of the Ontario government’s commitment to ensuring that every Ontarian has access to safe drinking water. Protecting water at its source is the first step in the multi-barrier approach
Multi-barrier approach
The Multi-barrier approach is a key paradigm for ensuring safe drinking water in jurisdictions such as Ontario, elsewhere in Canada, and New Zealand...
to source water protection
Source water protection
Source Water Protection refers to the concept of protecting source water from overuse and contamination....
. By stopping contaminants from getting into sources of drinking water — lakes, rivers and aquifers — we can provide the first line of defense in the protection of our environment and the health of Ontarians.
For the first time, communities will be required to create and carry out a plan to protect the sources of their municipal drinking water supplies. The Clean Water Act, 2006 will:
- Require local communities to look at the existing and potential threats to their water and set out and implement the actions necessary to reduce or eliminate significant threats.
- Empower communities to take action to prevent threats from becoming significant.
- Require public participation on every local source protection plan. This means everyone in the community gets a chance to contribute to the planning process.
- Require that all plans and actions are based on sound science.
This legislation sets out a basic framework for the establishment of community based groups that represent a cross section of sectors and geographic areas within Conservation Authority (Canada) boundaries. These community based groups are called Source Protection Committees
Source Protection Committees
Source Protection Committees were established under the Province of Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006 to create and carry out a plan to protect municipal sources of drinking water....
and there are 19 such groups across Ontario.
The Clean Water Act, 2006 also introduced the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program (ODWSP) a financial assistance program for farmers, landowners and small or medium businesses for activities that reduce threats to municipal drinking water sources.