Backgrounder: Strengthening Protection for Ontario's Drinking Water
November 19, 2009 10:13 AM
The government has continued to take strong action to safeguard Ontario's drinking water in 2008-09.
Source Protection
Ontario's Clean Water Act helps communities protect their drinking water sources through collaborative, locally-driven, science-based protection plans. Key actions in 2008-09 include:
The ministry also sought public input on what source protection plans should contain and how they should be prepared through a discussion paper posted on the Environment Registry, for public review.
Municipal Drinking Water Licensing Program
The program imposes rigorous requirements on and holds owners of all municipal residential drinking water systems to a high standard of operating and managing their systems. All owners must apply for a municipal drinking water licence to operate their systems, by June 2010.
Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate a Quality Management System for municipal residential drinking water systems. Licensing is being phased in starting with large municipalities. As of June 30, 2009, twenty of the province's municipal systems received licences.
Performance Results for Municipal Drinking Water Systems
Ontario residents can be confident their municipal residential drinking water systems are delivering safe, high quality tap water. Results from the Chief Drinking Water Inspector's Annual Report for 2007-08 show Ontario's safety net is working. It states 99.85 per cent of drinking water tests reported by municipal residential drinking water systems met Ontario's rigorous, health-based drinking water quality standards during the year. This is up from 99.83 per cent in 2006-07.
Addressing Lead in Drinking Water
The Ontario government is taking action on lead in drinking water. The 2007-2008 report of the province's Chief Drinking Water Inspector provides the first results of tests for lead in drinking water in schools, day cares and communities. Overall test results and compliance was good.
The first round of community testing (done between December 15, 2007 and April 15, 2008) found that the 98 per cent of samples taken at municipal residential drinking water systems met Ontario's standard for lead. The results for the 2007 testing for lead in schools, private schools and day nurseries showed that 94 per cent of samples met the standard for lead.
Water Quality in Ontario 2008 Report
Ontario is a world leader in water monitoring. The Water Quality in Ontario 2008 Report presents findings on priority issues facing Ontario's water resources including the effects of phosphorus, toxic substances, acid rain, and climate change. Information on these issues is important to addressing the government's top environmental priorities. These include protecting the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe, reducing toxics and combating climate change.
Monitoring results show the government's actions to improve water quality are making progress, but there is more to be done, particularly in light of climate change. Specifically, the report notes:
Lake Simcoe Protection Plan
After several months of consultation on the draft plan, the government released the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan on June 2, 2009. The plan:
Reducing Toxics
Ontario's Legislature passed new legislation to reduce toxic chemicals in water, air, land and consumer products.
Ontario's Toxics Reduction Act requires industry to take action to reduce their use of toxic substances. It requires facilities to:
Source Protection
Ontario's Clean Water Act helps communities protect their drinking water sources through collaborative, locally-driven, science-based protection plans. Key actions in 2008-09 include:
- The 19 local source protection committees submitted terms of reference for their source protection areas to the Minister and all have been approved. The terms of reference identify the actions required to develop and implement the plan.
- The committees are now developing science-based assessment reports.
The ministry also sought public input on what source protection plans should contain and how they should be prepared through a discussion paper posted on the Environment Registry, for public review.
Municipal Drinking Water Licensing Program
The program imposes rigorous requirements on and holds owners of all municipal residential drinking water systems to a high standard of operating and managing their systems. All owners must apply for a municipal drinking water licence to operate their systems, by June 2010.
Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate a Quality Management System for municipal residential drinking water systems. Licensing is being phased in starting with large municipalities. As of June 30, 2009, twenty of the province's municipal systems received licences.
Performance Results for Municipal Drinking Water Systems
Ontario residents can be confident their municipal residential drinking water systems are delivering safe, high quality tap water. Results from the Chief Drinking Water Inspector's Annual Report for 2007-08 show Ontario's safety net is working. It states 99.85 per cent of drinking water tests reported by municipal residential drinking water systems met Ontario's rigorous, health-based drinking water quality standards during the year. This is up from 99.83 per cent in 2006-07.
Addressing Lead in Drinking Water
The Ontario government is taking action on lead in drinking water. The 2007-2008 report of the province's Chief Drinking Water Inspector provides the first results of tests for lead in drinking water in schools, day cares and communities. Overall test results and compliance was good.
The first round of community testing (done between December 15, 2007 and April 15, 2008) found that the 98 per cent of samples taken at municipal residential drinking water systems met Ontario's standard for lead. The results for the 2007 testing for lead in schools, private schools and day nurseries showed that 94 per cent of samples met the standard for lead.
Water Quality in Ontario 2008 Report
Ontario is a world leader in water monitoring. The Water Quality in Ontario 2008 Report presents findings on priority issues facing Ontario's water resources including the effects of phosphorus, toxic substances, acid rain, and climate change. Information on these issues is important to addressing the government's top environmental priorities. These include protecting the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe, reducing toxics and combating climate change.
Monitoring results show the government's actions to improve water quality are making progress, but there is more to be done, particularly in light of climate change. Specifically, the report notes:
- Levels of PCBs and mercury are decreasing in the Great Lakes
- Phosphorus levels in Lake Simcoe are lower compared to past decades
- Northern lakes are showing signs of recovery from acid rain.
Lake Simcoe Protection Plan
After several months of consultation on the draft plan, the government released the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan on June 2, 2009. The plan:
- Takes an innovative, science-based, watershed approach to ensure that development and activities around the lake are environmentally sustainable
- Addresses emerging problems that affect the lake, such as climate change and invasive species
- Is supported by a $20 million investment from 2008 to 2012, targeting protection measures, scientific research and on-farm stewardship activities.
Reducing Toxics
Ontario's Legislature passed new legislation to reduce toxic chemicals in water, air, land and consumer products.
Ontario's Toxics Reduction Act requires industry to take action to reduce their use of toxic substances. It requires facilities to:
- Track and quantify the toxics they use and create
- Develop a plan to reduce toxics, and
- Make a summary of the plan available to the public.
Ministry of the Environment
ontario.ca/environment