Thunder Bay area first in province to complete drinking water source protection plan
The Lakehead drinking water source protection plan has been submitted to the Environment Minister for approval. This is the first of 38 plans coming forward in the upcoming months.
Source protection planning is an important part of Ontario's multi-barrier approach to ensure safe drinking water. Submission of the Lakehead Plan completes a collaborative community process to find the best ways to protect sources of drinking water in the Thunder Bay area. It also marks a major milestone in a five-year planning process to protect drinking water sources around the province.
Source protection plans focus on prevention, by identifying and managing risks to the quality and quantity of municipal sources of drinking water. When the planning process is complete, we will know how to protect more than 450 municipal drinking water sources. Drinking water source protection is one of the province's responses to the Walkerton tragedy.
More than 80 per cent of Ontarians get their drinking water from the Great Lakes. Source protection planning also supports the recently introduced proposed Great Lakes Protection Act and the priorities outlined in the Draft Great Lakes Strategy by protecting water quality.
Plans are to be submitted to the Minister for approval by August 20, 2012. To find more about each of the source protection areas click here.
