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2022 Annual Report of local drinking water source protection activities now available 
The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley (ABMV) Source Protection Committee (SPC) approved the 2022 Annual Progress Report for submission to the Province of Ontario.

This progress report documents the achievements made together with municipalities, agencies and ministries to implement local source protection plan (SPP) policies that add protection to local municipal drinking water sources. You may view or download this report on the local source protection website documents page.

The ABMV source protection region includes almost all of Huron County and parts of Bruce, Perth, Wellington, Lambton and Middlesex counties. There are 26 municipal groundwater well systems and two Lake Huron intakes (Goderich and Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System near Grand Bend) in the region. The source of water for the wells is typically deep bedrock aquifers which are protected by a thick overburden.

The SPC reviewed the Annual Progress Report and agreed implementation was “progressing well,” as all policies that address significant threats are implemented or in progress. Most municipalities in this region have updated their official plans to incorporate source protection plan policies. Also, more than 98 per cent of the required risk management plans are in place. These plans address activities such as fuel, waste and chemical storage. In this region, 204 septic systems close to municipal wells require inspection every five years. The second round of inspections is underway, with 73 systems inspected in 2022.

The source protection region encourages people to keep an eye out for the 88 drinking water protection zone signs installed on roadways in the region near municipal water sources. The signs alert citizens they have entered a vulnerable area around a municipal well and that actions in these zones can have an impact on a municipal drinking water source.

The region created a series of eight videos, between 2020 and 2022, featuring source protection committee members. The videos promote source water protection. The videos can be found on the local source protection region website on the source protection videos web page. 

The SPC reviewed the annual report and acknowledged “… the local municipalities, stakeholders, and other implementing bodies for their contribution to this annual progress report, and for their ongoing efforts to implement the SPP policies. The great progress made to date on SPP implementation would not have been possible without their strong support.”

To learn more about drinking water source protection visit the local source protection region website.
"We would like to acknowledge the local municipalities, stakeholders, and other implementing bodies for their contribution to this annual progress report, and for their ongoing efforts to implement the SPP policies. The great progress made to date on SPP implementation would not have been possible without their strong support." 
– Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Committee

New podcast looks back at 2000 water contamination tragedy in Walkerton


Over the years, a number of instances of contamination of water supplies in Ontario has underscored the importance of protecting our drinking water and our drinking water sources.

The water contamination tragedy in Walkerton, in 2000, remains one of the most impactful examples of the need to continue to protect our drinking water and the need for the policies and regulations that ensure our drinking water is safe and clean. 

After the water supply was contaminated, with E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni, seven people died and more than 2,300 people became ill.

Blackburn News (The 519 Podcast) released, on May 5, 2023, a podcast called Thousands Infected: the Walkerton Water Crisis. You can listen to the podcast here:
That tragedy in 2000 prompted the Province of Ontario to make a number of changes.

In addition to the podcast, you are also encouraged to look at the recommendations, of The Walkerton Inquiry report released in 2002. Since the inquiry, the Province of Ontario has implemented the recommendations and added multiple barriers of defence to prevent a water tragedy like this from happening again.

To find out more about what has been done, since the Walkerton tragedy, and what is being done today, to keep municipal drinking water sources safe and clean, especially at its source, visit the Province of Ontario web page:
"After the tragic events of 2000 in Walkerton, Ontario took strong action to ensure our drinking water is among the best protected in the world. Following the Walkerton inquiry, Justice O’Connor made 121 recommendations on a wide range of areas related to protecting drinking water. These recommendations are the building blocks of Ontario’s drinking water protection framework. The government has implemented all the recommendations. Today, Ontario has a comprehensive drinking water protection framework from source to tap. Since reporting began in 2004, more than 99.8 per cent of water quality tests continue to meet Ontario’s strict health-based water quality standards." 
– Source Protection in Ontario – Drinking Water Protection Framework
The Source Protection Committee and the Source Protection Region, working with municipalities and other community partners, are supporting local citizens through measures including source protection planning and implementation, risk reduction and risk management, and education and outreach.

It takes a team to protect water.

Watch the latest Source Protection Committee video to see many of the team players who work to keep your municipal drinking water safe and clean:

Further measures to protect
drinking water


The Province of Ontario and Conservation Ontario are reaching out to Ontarians with best practices to further protect our drinking water sources: To find out more about best practices to keep water sources clean throughout Ontario check out this story map:
Copyright © 2023 Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Region c/o ABCA, All rights reserved.


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