Savarin Springs Inc. - Permit to take water

Comments relevant to the water taking proposal were considered as part of the review of the application. The main concerns raised were regarding the following:

• one comment was received via ERO identifying concerns with the sale/commodification of water by the bottle water industry
• one comment was received via ERO identifying concerns with increased use of plastics in the water bottling industry
• one comment was received via e-mail indicating no concerns with the application

Over the past years, the ministry has thoroughly reviewed the province’s water taking policies, programs and science tools and held an independent third-party review of the findings on bottled water takings, which was completed by a panel of experts from Professional Geoscientists Ontario.

Ontario has strengthened groundwater protection by:

1. Enhancing Ontario’s water taking program through regulatory amendments and providing new guidance to help permit holders to understand the new rules and how to operate within them
2. Giving host municipalities more direct input on allowing bottled water companies to withdraw new or increased amounts of groundwater in their communities
3. Charging a water bottling fee for water bottling companies that take groundwater, effective August 1, 2017
4. Hiring an experienced water resources consulting firm, BluMetric Environmental Inc., to assess water resources in the province, in addition to our own ongoing review and analysis of water taking in Ontario
5. Validating the ministry’s findings on water bottling through an independent third-party panel from the Professional Geoscientists Ontario

In Ontario, water bottling facilities must apply for permits to take water from groundwater sources if the facility plans to take more than 50,000 litres of water on any day.

Groundwater is water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock. It supplies water in wells and some streams, lakes and wetlands.

Ontario is committed to protecting water resources for families now and for future generations. It’s even more important as our population grows, and during hot conditions and periods of drought, which are projected to become more frequent because of climate change.

The independent third-party review validated our findings that water takings for bottling are managed sustainably in Ontario under existing legislation, regulation and guidance and are not impacting the sustainability of groundwater resources.

To address concerns related to plastic, the ministry is working to address the issue of plastic waste and litter by ensuring that plastics are recovered or recycled so that this valuable resource does not get sent to landfills or released into our environment.

Ontario’s approach to reducing litter and waste was set out in the Reducing Litter and Waste in Our Communities Discussion Paper (https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4689) which built on the commitments made in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. The Plan and the Discussion Paper include real actions to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills or becomes litter.

A key action currently underway involves transitioning the Blue Box Program to full producer responsibility. On June 3, 2021, the government finalized the Blue Box regulation which will make producers of products and packaging fully responsible for the cost and operation of the program. The regulation will make recycling easier for Ontarians by collecting more products and packaging, including single-use items that are distributed or sold to consume food and beverage products, like stir sticks, straws, cutlery, plates and food service ware. The new framework also requires producers of products and packaging to achieve diversion targets and to report annually on supply, collection and management of materials.

In particular, the Blue Box regulation sets aggressive targets for the collection of all beverage containers sold in Ontario, including plastic water bottles. This will significantly increase the collection and recycling of beverage containers while helping reduce litter.