Did you get a letter on Drinking Water Protection?

By Miriam King Bradford Times September 16 2010
Some residents in Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury received a letter in the mail from the South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Committee – warning that their properties may pose a “significant risk” to a municipal drinking water supply.
The Committee recently released a draft of the proposed Assessment Report, identifying the location and type of potential risks to all sources of municipal drinking water in the South Georgian Bay-Lake Simcoe Region. The Study area spans over 10,000 sq. km. and includes 52 municipalities, 3 First Nations communities, 111 drinking water systems, 290 municipal wells, 15 municipal surface water intakes, and over 50,000 private wells. Source Protection areas were established for each municipal well and surface water intake.
Actually, says Committee Chair Lynn Dollin, two types of letters went out. One was sent to anyone within a “2-year capture zone” for a municipal well – a zone defined by how far groundwater travels within a 2-year period, which will vary depending on the geology of each individual well.
About 22,000 of these letters are going out, with a general warning to landowners that they are within a “vulnerable area”, and that “any activities that you do might pose a risk” to the municipal supply.
Another 5,000 letters are going out to properties actually identified as posing a “significant threat.” These are properties with septic beds within the recharge area, where fuels are stored, sludge is spread on agricultural fields, where pesticides or commercial fertilizers are used, or where “dense non-aqueous phase liquids” – such as degreasers, pharmaceuticals, resins or solvents – are in use, within a 5-year capture zone. The dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) “are particularly nasty, because a little bit can contaminate a whole lot of water,” explains Dollin, and have a high degree of toxicity.
BWG has a single municipal water system, fed by 7 wells and Innisfil’s lake-based water supply. The committee identified 57 “significant threats” associated with 50 land parcels – including 27 properties where application of commercial fertilizer to lands may pose a risk, 4 sites where pesticides are applied or stored, and 15 locations that handle or store DNAPLs.
Innisfil is more complex – with an Intake Protection Zone for the Alcona lake-based water system identified along the shoreline, and inland along several tributaries; and Wellhead Protection Areas identified for the Goldcrest (Fennell’s Corners), Golf Haven (Gilford), Innisfil Heights, Stroud, Churchill and Cookstown wells. A total of 195 “Significant Threats” were identified, involving 141 properties – with 85 threats on 49 parcels of land around Cookstown’s shallow well alone. Dollin represents Cookstown on Innisfil Council.
Just what does it all mean for a recipient a letter? “Right now it doesn’t mean anything,” says Dollin, but “stay tuned.” The committee is charged with coming up with new policies to mitigate threats to municipal drinking water, a process expected to take another year. The result is likely to be a range of new regulations. Owners of septic beds within a wellhead protection area may be required to follow “best practices” – such as pumping and inspection every 5 years. Municipal Zoning By-laws may have to be revised to ban certain land uses near drinking water sources.
And those who received a letter advising of a “significant threat”, take note: the province is requiring that “you must make it cease to be or lower the risk.”
Check out the draft report, at www.ourwatershed.ca – and attend 1 of 5 planned public Open Houses, where the report will be available, and technical experts on hand to answer questions. Meetings include Tues., Sept. 28, 4-8 p.m. at Glenway GCC, Newmarket; Tues., October 5, 4-8 p.m. at the Nottawasaga Inn & Resort, Alliston; and Weds., October 6, 4-8 p.m. at Lions Gate Banquet Centre, Barrie.
RSVP to 1-800-465-0437, or swp@ourwatershed.ca