More on Drinking Water Policies

Earlier this month I posted a note about work going on in the Mississippi-Rideau region to develop a plan for protecting rivers and groundwater. A similar activity is going on in our area. Find out more about how it might affect us by going here.

Drinking Water Policies

Here is an announcement about what is going on north of here on developing policies for protecting groundwater. Although this does not affect us directly, it raises issues that we will also have to deal with in our area.

Comment on Draft Drinking Water Policies

Draft policies have been developed to help keep contaminants out of rivers and groundwater where they are a source of municipal drinking water. Such preventative measures will help make municipal drinking water even safer. Review the draft policies and submit comments by May 4, 2012.

Policies can be found in the draft Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan. This Plan contains a series of voluntary and mandatory policies that encourage good stewardship, require additional oversight or risk reduction measures where necessary and prohibit certain activities from being established in the future. Funding is also available until December 1, 2012 to help property owners proactively address activities on their property that may be subject to these policies in the future.

View the Draft Plan

· Online at www.mrsourcewater.ca

· At our Conservation Authority Offices:

o Mississippi Valley Conservation – 4175 Highway 511, Lanark

o Rideau Valley Conservation Authority – 3889 Rideau Valley Dr, Manotick

· At our open houses (details below)

· Request a DVD copy (contact information below)

Attend an Open House (all open houses are 4 pm to 8 pm)

· April 19 – Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (3889 Rideau Valley Drive, Manotick)

· April 24 – Carleton Place Arena (75 Neelin Street, Carleton Place)

· April 26 – Smiths Falls Memorial Centre (75 Cornelia Street, Smiths Falls)

Where Policies Would Apply

There are 11 locations in the Mississippi-Rideau region where rivers or groundwater are a source of municipal drinking water – these are the areas where policies will apply and funding is available:

· Almonte · Carleton Place · Carp · Kemptville

· Merrickville · Munster · Perth · Richmond

· Smiths Falls · Urban Ottawa · Westport

What Activities Policies Would Address

The following types of activities could be subject to policies in the areas listed above. These are activities that must be carefully managed near sources of drinking water to prevent contamination.

· Waste disposal sites · Municipal sewage works · Septic systems · Pesticides · Commercial fertilizer

· Nutrients (manure, biosolids, livestock) · Heating oil (furnace tanks) · Liquid fuel (gas stations, yard tanks) · Road salt and snow storage · Chemicals (DNAPLs and organic solvents)

More information: Sommer Casgrain-Robertson
Co-Project Manager, Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region
613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504
ext 1147

sommer.robertson@mrsourcewater.ca
www.mrsourcewater.ca