Clinton News Record, 2016-03-09, Page 7Wednesday, March 9, 2016 • News Record 7
Upgraded website features local municipal well systems
Special to
Clinton News Record
Upgrades to a local web-
site include an interactive
map to help people find out
more about their local
municipal wells. The Ausa-
ble Bayfield Maitland Valley
Source Protection Region
has updated its local website
with added new features and
content. The website is
found at sourcewaterinfo.
on.ca. It now includes pages
and fact sheets about 25
municipal well systems. It
also provides information
about zones of protection
around municipal wells and
where planning policies
require action by people liv-
ing and working near those
wells.
"Locally -developed
source protection plans are
now in effect to protect
municipal drinking water
sources," said Jenna Allain,
Program Supervisor with the
Ausable Bayfield Maitland
Valley Drinking Water
Source Protection Region.
"We have entered an impor-
tant new phase of this work.
We want to make it as easy as
possible for people to find
out about the municipal well
in their community. We also
want to make it easy for peo-
ple to find out if source pro-
tection plan policies require
them to take any action at
their home or work."
The website's new home
page provides three high-
profile windows to find
maps, fact sheets, and
information about the Risk
Management Office. There
is also a news feed with
current news about drink-
ing water source protection
in the Maitland Valley and
Ausable Bayfield source
protection areas.
The new interactive map-
ping feature shows the two
watersheds as well as the
names of several towns.
There are dots on the map
for each of the 25 municipal
well systems of the region.
People can click on these
dots to find the name of the
well and then click on a link
for more information. By
clicking on that link people
can find a page about the
community's well, a detailed
map of wellhead protection
areas, and a fact sheet. The
fact sheets let people know
about the water source and
treatment, explain the well-
head protection areas, and
provide ways to protect these
local drinking water sources.
The source protection
region wanted a website that
was modern, better suited to
smart phones and devices,
clean and uncluttered, and
one that made it easy to find
maps and policy impacts,
according to Allain. The
website changes also make it
easier to find documents,
she said, since tabs and
drop-down menus have
been added to the top of the
page for easy navigation.
New content on the website
includes a new video show-
ing the work that local peo-
ple are doing to protect
MS lives here.
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drinking water sources.
The upgraded website
includes a page about risk
management plans. A risk
management plan (RMP) is
a tool that regulates activi-
ties that pose a significant
threat to municipal drink-
ing water sources. Risk
management plans include
best management practices
designed to reduce or elim-
inate risks to the municipal
drinking water source.
These RMP plans are gener-
ally negotiated between the
person doing the activity
and a municipally -
appointed risk manage-
ment official. For example,
if fuel was stored at a ser-
vice station where there is a
significant threat to drink-
ing water sources, a risk
management official would
work with the gas station
owner. Together, they
would develop a risk man-
agement plan to reduce the
chance of spills from an
underground tank.
The Ontario Ministry of
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on Saturday March 12, 2016
Doreen
Raithby's
75th Birthday
from 2-4pm
First Baptist Church
Huron St. Clinton
no gifts please
MBIA
Clinton and central huron
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
MIX & MINGLE
Tuesday April 12, 2016 at 6:15pm
at Central Huron Fire Hall
Beverages and snacks will be served.
The CCHBIA is looking for Volunteers to be part
of our Board of Management. If you are interested
please email below.
clinton.centralhuronbia@gmail.com
the Environment and Cli-
mate Change (MOECC)
approved source protection
plans for the Maitland Val-
ley and Ausable Bayfield
source protection areas on
January 19, 2015. The
source protection plans
took effect in April of 2015.
The plans include policies
to address 21 activities that
can pose a threat to munic-
ipal drinking water sources
in certain circumstances
(for example, in certain
locations and in certain
quantities).
Source protection plan
policies address activities
in four types of vulnerable
areas: wellhead protection
areas (groundwater)
around municipal wells;
surface water intake pro-
tection zones; significant
groundwater recharge
areas; and highly vulnera-
ble aquifers. People may
find the maps of these areas
by visiting sourcewaterinfo.
on.ca. Threat activities may
be assessed as low, moder-
ate or significant threats to
municipal drinking water
sources. In this region, sig-
nificant threats to drinking
water are only found in
wellhead protection areas
(WHPAs) A, B, and C. The
policies in those relatively
small vulnerable areas
reduce risk by using tools
ranging from education
and outreach, to risk man-
agement plans, to restricted
land uses, to prohibition of
some activities.
If you are located close to
a municipal well and would
like to learn if plan policies
apply to you, or how you
can protect local drinking
water sources, visit the
website at sourcewaterinfo.
on.ca or phone toll-free
1-888-286-2610 or email
info @ s ourc ewaterinfo.
on.ca.
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FOR MOVIE INFORMATION—
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Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18
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