Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 - (Page 16)

The Clean Water Act: By Nancy Jakubic n July 2007, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment passed the first set of regulations for the Clean Water Act. These include the Source Protection Areas and Regions, Source Protection Committees, Terms of Reference, Time Limits and Miscellaneous Regulations. The clock is now ticking on the deadline for completing the first phase, which divvies up tasks to be performed by municipalities and the source protection authority over the next five years. Municipalities will be approached by their source protection committees in 2008 to participate in discussions about this division of tasks. Ontario has almost 600 drinking water sources serving municipalities, operated by upper tier and lower tier municipalities varying in capacities, vulnerabilities and their understanding of the Clean Water Act. “It ranges all the way from large ones like Oxford and Waterloo that will 16 · municipal MONITOR Let’s make it perfectly “The Clean Water Act is very focused on land use planning and is not just an operational-focused piece of legislation for municipal departments such as public works. We would have liked to have seen more comprehensive representation from the planning community.” I be building upon their own local programs to the small ones that ask, ‘What does the Clean Water Act mean for us?’” says Ian Smith, Director, Source Protection Programs Branch, Ministry of the Environment. Who pays for implementation is the question on everybody’s mind. In an initial step designed to educate and inform municipal staff, Katie Fairman, Training Coordinator, Source Protection Approvals, Ministry of the Environment co-ordinated a partnership agreement with AMCTO last fall for the delivery of nine training sessions on the Clean Water Act. “The most surprising element to the training was the level of awareness in the planning community,” says Fairman. Focus on Prevention Concerns about a clean drinking water supply are not new, but the focus has changed from treatment to prevention. “The intent of the Clean Water Act was to protect sources of municipal water,” says Nicola Crawhall, Consultant, Provincial & Municipal Water policy. “Municipal water used to be just treated and delivered. It’s important to protect the water from things like industrial solvents and ground water contamination, which really cost the municipality if they have to clean up or find new sources of water.” May/June 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 Contents President's Message: On Messages and Milestones Viewpoint: Much Ado About Nothing? Again Mapping the North: Municipalities Team Up to Create Sophisticated Geographic Information System The Clean Water Act: Let's Make it Perfectly Clear Developing Trend: Communication is Essential During Large-Scale Projects Water Under the Bridge Municpal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

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