Source Protection Plan and Wellhead Protection

With the Grand River flowing through our community, the Town of Grand Valley falls within the jurisdiction of the Lake Erie Source Protection Plan. The Source Protection Plan is intended to protect municipal wells and surface water intakes from specific activities that could pose a threat to our drinking water. The Ontario government passed the Clean Water Act in 2006 to help protect drinking water at the source, as part of its multi-barrier strategy to safeguard human health and the environment. The Clean Water Act established a process for developing local, watershed-based Source Protection Plans.

Source Protection Plan Policies may apply to a property if:

Your property is within a wellhead protection zone, indicated on this map from the Official Plan (close-up map available from the Zoning By-law map).
Applying for planning approval or a building permit in a source protection area. Some planning approvals and building permit applications may not be permitted as proposed or may require a Risk Management Plan to be negotiated prior to proceeding.

Currently undertaking an activity of concern in a source protection area. The property owner does not need to do anything until contacted by the Risk Management Official.

For more information on the Clean Water Act and the Source Protection Plan, visit the Lake Erie Source Protection Plan website. For policies specific to the Grand River, visit the Grand River Source Protection website or download the Town of Grand Valley's section of the approved Grand River Source Protection Plan.

For staff engaged in source water protection, including risk management officials/inspectors and planning staff, or others requiring GIS mapping, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has created the Source Protection Information Atlas (SPIA), a live, interactive mapping tool. The SPIA is available at the following link - Source Protection Information Atlas.

Some Common Terms regarding Source Protection:

• Clean Water Act (CWA) - the Ontario government passed the Clean Water Act in 2006 to help protect drinking water at the source as part of its multi-barrier strategy to safeguard human health and the environment. The CWA established a process for developing local, watershed-based Source Protection Plans. The Source Protection Plan is intended to protect municipal wells and surface water intakes from specific activities that may impact drinking water quality.
• Groundwater aquifer - an underground geological formation that holds useable amounts of water. Most of the Town's source water for drinking comes from groundwater aquifers.
• Notice of Source Protection Plan Compliance - a signed declaration the activities on the property comply with the Source Protection Plan policies. This document is also referred to as a Section 59 notice.
• Risk Management Plan (RMP) - an agreement between the property representative and the Town's Risk Management Official. It is a site-specific negotiated agreement which identifies the best management practices to use to protect our water supply from the activities occurring on the property.
• Risk Management Official (RMO) - RMOs and RMIs are appointed by the municipality that is responsible for implementing local Source Protection Plan Part IV policies. An individual can only become an RMO or RMI upon successful completion of a mandatory training course approved by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
• Risk Management Inspector (RMI)- refer to definition for Risk Management Official (RMO).
• Source Protection Plan (SPP) - a legal document that provides direction to municipalities and property owners on how to protect our drinking water sources.
• Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA) - the area of land surrounding a municipal well, which contributes water to the well. Within the WHPA, protective measures are implemented to safeguard the underlying groundwater supply from potential contaminant sources.