Approved amendments to the Grand River Source Protection Plan including the Grand River Assessment Report, for the Grand River Source Protection Area.

The Clean Water Act, 2006 helps communities safeguard their drinking water sources from contamination and depletion. It does this by encouraging the creation of collaborative, science-based, watershed protection plans that are locally driven and focused on prevention.

The changes made through the amendments to the Grand River Source Protection Plan, including the Grand River Assessment Report:

• an update to the protection zones for the Paris Drinking Water System (DWS) to reflect updated information about the area (i.e., percent managed lands, livestock density and impervious surface area data), including the delineation of Sodium and Chloride Issue Contributing Areas (ICA) at the Bethel Road wellfield in Paris, Ontario
• revised measures to mitigate threats (i.e., from the handling and storage of salt, the storage of snow, and liquid hydrocarbon pipelines)
• technical and administrative changes to keep the Plan up to date with the Technical Rules under the Clean Water Act, 2006
• the re-enumeration of drinking water threat activities for local DWSs (i.e., Airport, Mount Pleasant, St. George, Paris, Ohsweken, City of Brantford), which includes the re-evaluation of two existing contaminated sites within the protection areas at the St. George wellfield
• updates to policies in the Plan:
  • six new policies to mitigate threats from the application, handling, and storage of road salt
  • a change in the approach to mitigate threats associated with future liquid hydrocarbon pipelines (i.e., the removal of previously approved three policies and addition of three new policies)
  • revisions to a total of 20 policies, including:
    • eight previously approved policies for storage of snow and the application, handling and storage of road salt to reflect the newly delineated sodium and chloride issue contributing areas at the Bethel Road wellfield in Paris, Ontario
    • changes to eight policies to realign them with the threat categories and circumstances described in the 2021 Technical Rules
    • minor revisions to four other policies

The Grand River Source Protection Authority consulted with the public  from February 3, 2025 to March 10, 2025. Pursuant to the Clean Water Act, 2006, comments were invited from:

• implementing bodies (including provincial government ministries and local municipalities)
• the public and affected landowners
• bands with reserves in the affected area

The source protection authority considered and addressed all comments received before submitting the proposed amendments to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks for approval.

The minister has concluded that the comments the source protection authority received during consultation on the Grand River Source Protection Plan, including the Grand River Assessment Report, have been adequately considered and addressed, and that the legislative and regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act, 2006 relating to the amendments have been met.

These amendments take effect upon this posting of the minister’s approval on the Environmental Registry. The approved amendments to the Grand River Source Protection Plan, including the Grand River Assessment Report, are available on the Lake Erie Source Protection Region’s website.