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Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act ensures that communities can identify potential risks to their drinking water supplies, and take actions to reduce these risks.  It brings members of the public together with:

  • municipalities
  • conservation authorities
  • industry and business
  • community groups
  • farmers and landowners

to meet common goals to keep Ontario’s drinking water safe.

Video: See what happens when you pour paint or other contaminants down your drain.  

Learn more about the act
Fact sheets
News Release and Backgrounder
Technical bulletins
Legislation and regulations

Did you know? Ontario borders on four of the five Great Lakes and we have more than a quarter of a million lakes, rivers and streams and rich groundwater resources – not to mention a multitude of plants and animals that necessarily thrive in such lush surroundings.

The Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program
Are you looking to protect your local sources of drinking water?  Do you live near a municipal well or intake? 

The Clean Water Act has established a funding program to help you take action to protect your municipality’s drinking water sources. And, you can save money while doing it. Whether you are a farmer, landowner, or a small or medium business, this funding program can help you help your community. This is what good stewardship is all about.

Thank you in your interest in the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program. The Ministry of the Environment has completed its second year of funding and is working to launch the Program for 2009-10. Please keep checking the website for updates to the Program and the launch of the funding for 2009-10 coming soon.

Learn more about the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program
News Release announcing the program
Advisory Panel appointed by the Premier McGuinty to develop the program
The Advisory Panel’s Report on best practices for stewardship

The Science Behind Drinking Water Source Protection

The Clean Water Act requires local multi-stakeholder source protection committees to prepare science based assessment reports for designated watershed areas.

These reports identify and assess threats to drinking water sources listed in the committee’s terms of reference. The information they contain is used to prepare the source protection plans. These science-based plans will tell what actions are required to address threats to drinking water sources.

Learn more about the

Technical rules for preparing the assessments reports