Water-Taking for…

Water-Taking for Construction Sites Dewatering Activities and Foundation Drains
Regulatory frameworks such as the Clean Water Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act were designed to manage and protect our shared water resources, ecosystems, and health.
Key regulatory tools that currently protect our water include:
Requirement of permits – including application and approval processes – for extracting more than 50,000 litres of groundwater per day;
Public consultation that allows local communities to have a say in decisions that may impact them; and
Requirements for industry to notify local conservation authorities of water-taking practices in order to facilitate collaborative management of water resources and municipal infrastructure, including consideration of drought and flood risks and conditions.

Ontario’s proposal to remove of the limit for groundwater-taking and to allow up to 379,000 litres of groundwater-taking per day without permit, while restricting public consultation and removing the requirement to notify conservation authorities, puts the ecosystem, human health, and municipal infrastructure at risk.