Updates Finalized for Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan

Press Release – Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Source Protection Authorities

The Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan has been updated to align with recent legislative changes from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Policy changes approved by the province apply to the management of road salt, fuel tanks, agriculture, pesticides, fertilizers, chemical storage, snow storage and other potential drinking water threats near municipal wells or intakes. The updated document and reports can be found on the recently updated Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan website.

The Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Plan is a locally developed policy document designed to keep municipal drinking water in the Rideau and Mississippi watersheds safe and clean. It is required under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006.

This plan is overseen by the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region and has been in effect since 2015. It contains policies for activities that have been determined to be significant drinking water threats (as determined by the technical rules under the Clean Water Act, 2006) in areas near municipal groundwater wells and surface water intakes. The approved updates will only apply to a select number of properties located within designated drinking water protection zones.

Drinking water sources in the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region include groundwater drawn from aquifers underground, and water drawn from the Ottawa River, Rideau River, Tay River and Mississippi River. The Source Protection Plan sets out policies that use a variety of tools to protect municipal drinking water sources from contamination. These tools include education, risk management planning, prohibition and land use planning. Visit the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region’s local website to find out more.

If you have questions about the updates, please contact Drinking Water Source Protection Project Manager Marika Livingston at 613-692-3571 ext. 1148 or marika.livingston@mrsourcewater.ca.