Source Water Protection

Programs & Services

The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region (ABMV SPR) includes the Source Protection Committee (SPC), the Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Source Protection Authorities (SPAs), local, multi-stakeholder community working groups and a municipal subcommittee made up of political representatives.

For information on the SPC or working groups click on the Committees/Working Groups tab.

For information on the partnering Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Conservation Authorities visit www.abca.on.ca or www.mvca.on.ca (The Conservation Authorities have special legislated roles to play as source protection authorities under the Clean Water Act, 2006).

Landowners who live within 100 metres of a municipal wellhead (and the two-year tme-of-travel area) or within one kilometre of a surface water intake, can help protect drinking water sources through voluntary early-action beneficial management practices through the Drinking Water Stewardship Program. For information visit www.sourceprotectionstewardship.on.ca The Drinking Water Stewardship Program, under the Clean Water Act, is a provincial companion program to source protection planning.

Source Protection Planning in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region (SPR) is building upon existing programs of the Province of Ontario as well as a network of local programs delivered by Conservation Authorities and other partner agencies, governments and individuals.

Various water, soil and forest conservation programs and services are delivered by conservation authorities and municipal, county and provincial governments and organizations. The list below is as comprehensive as possible, but other programs and services may exist. You can also download a list of Conservation Authority watershed stewardship services on our Downloads page.

Water Well Record Improvement Project

What is it?

The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region has completed two successful field seasons visiting landowners to verify the Global Positioning System (GPS) locations of non-municipal wells. Staff have visited properties throughout the ABCA and MVCA watersheds. We also partnered with the Huron County Health Unit to promote best management practices for water wells. We would like to thank all the landowners who for their active participation in this successful provincial pilot project.

Why was it necessary?

1. Proper well management is key to maintaining a safe, healthy water supply for you, your family and future generations
2. This project will verify or improve upon existing local records and gauge the accuracy of the province's well record information
3. Groundwater and other drinking water sources are connected; by knowing how many private wells are drawing on the region's groundwater supply, the local Source Protection Committee can make better recommendations for new programs, such as stewardship grants
4. In terms of science, wells can tell us a lot about underground geology and the movement of groundwater--- when we know how many wells there are and where they're located

How will it affect me as a landowner?

1. Water well data will help you contribute to the protection of your water sources and those of your neighbours, as our groundwater supply is connected and shared by many
2. Updated well data will also help with your stewardship efforts and farm planning
3. Interensted landowners have received complimentary aerial photographs of their property, with the well location(s) clearly marked

Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region c/o

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority/Source Protection Authority

71108 Morrison Line,

RR 3 Exeter ON N0M 1S5

tel: 1-888-286-2610 or (519)-235-2610

Fax: (519) 235-1963

Maitland Valley Conservation Authority/Source Protection Authority

P.O. Box 127,

Wroxeter, ON N0G 2XO

Tel: (519) 335-3557

Fax: (519) 335-3516

My Land, Our Water

My Land, Our Water is an online mapping application that enables you to view information on properties within the Maitland and Saugeen watersheds (information on properties in the Ausable Bayfield watersheds will be available in the near future). You can use My Land, Our Water:

• to find out about your property's soil, slope, wells and geology
• to determine your property's vulnerability to surface and groundwater contamination based on its physical attributes (rather than the land use occurring on site)
• to measure for setbacks or minimum distance separation
• to determine the size of an area or workable acres of a field
• to find out about groundwater well protection and the importance of healthy water

All you need to know is the lot and concession number of the property you would like to view. Visit My Land, Our Water.

You may also want to view the new online mapping portal www.camaps.ca which has maps of the Ausable Bayfield watershed.

Flood Protection - The original mission of conservation authorities, flood protection remains a central purpose.

End-of-Pipe - these programs occur near water collection points - further "down" the watershed or at outlets from pollution sources. Examples are water treatment plants or spill clean-ups.

Pollution Barriers-at-Source - programs occur further from water collection points like streams, lakes, aquifers‚ further up the watershed. They include agricultural Beneficial Management Practices and stewardship programs.