SOUTH HURON – Eligible landowners in designated wellhead protection areas in the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield source protection areas have until Dec. 1, 2012 to complete projects in order to receive grants under the current provincial drinking water stewardship program, says a local spokesperson.
“Landowners located within 100 metres of a municipal well or in the two-year time-of-travel wellhead protection areas may be eligible to receive funding for eligible projects if they act in the next three months,” said Donna Clarkson, who is a source protection stewardship technician for the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield areas.
Property owners in areas around municipal wells have been protecting local drinking water sources since 2006, through voluntary 
projects such as well, septic, and fuel-storage upgrades. Eligible landowners have received financial incentives for the majority of the cost of these projects through the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program.
Local homeowners, farmers, and business people have received nearly $800,000 in grants so far for their work that protects municipal drinking water sources. The stewardship program has approved an additional $140,000 in funding locally for local projects that are in progress.
“We are so thankful that local people have undertaken well and septic upgrades or decommissioning, improved storage of fuel, and completed other projects at their home, farm, business, or other property to protect the community’s drinking water,” Clarkson said.
“We encourage other people near municipal wells to also consider projects and to talk to us about the funding that is available for a limited time,” she said.
Stewardship staff members have sent letters to people in the key wellhead protection areas to let them know they are eligible for these financial incentives. To see maps of which areas are eligible, visit online and click on Assessment Reports. People may also phone 519-335-3557 for more information on eligible projects and areas.
Projects must be completed and paid for by Dec. 1, 2012 to be eligible.
Local communities that get their drinking water from underground have wellhead protection areas around those municipal wells. Communities with wellhead protection areas in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region include Atwood, Auburn, Belgrave, Benmiller, Blyth, Brucefield, Brussels, Clifford, Clinton, Dungannon, Gowanstown, Harriston, Listowel, Lucknow, Molesworth, Palmerston, Seaforth, Whitechurch, Wingham, and Zurich. Other wellhead protection areas include the Harbour Lights, Carriage Lane, Sam, and Vandewetering well supplies near Bayfield; the McClinchey and Kelly well supplies south of Goderich; Century Heights wells, near Saltford; and the Huron Sands well, north of Port Albert.
Eligible projects include wells (upgrades or decommissioning), septic systems (upgrades or decommissioning), fuel storage (such as better containment for home heating oil), storage and containment of harmful chemicals (dense non-aqueous phase liquids), manure storage, runoff and erosion control projects, and other best management practices.
The Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program is one of the initiatives to protect municipal drinking water sources through the Province of Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006. The drinking water source protection program implemented key recommendations of the O’Connor Inquiry. Source protection, combined with effective testing, training, treatment, monitoring, and distribution, reduces risk to your municipal drinking water sources by providing multiple barriers of protection. The Province of Ontario committed $28 million over four years through the voluntary stewardship program to assist owners of homes, farms, and businesses, and municipalities, to protect municipal drinking water. Stewardship funding under ODWSP has included Education and Outreach; Early Actions; and Early Response phases. Early Actions and Early Response funding is available in the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region until Dec. 1, 2012.
For more information on this funding opportunity, to help protect your local water supply, visit sourceprotectionstewardship.on.ca and sourcewaterinfo.on.ca or phone 519-335-3557 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or e-mail [email protected]
One Comment on "Grants available for property owners near wellheads"
So how does this Source Water Protection deal with the Town of Goderich that gets its water from Lake Huron but the Town pays NO respect to some of the source water areas inland from the lake that are WITHIN the TOWN Boundary. As an example, the LCBO was allowed to build at the “top”of the watershed on TOP of springs that flowed north and west. Where was the ground water protection act when needed? Further, a well-known wetland is being allowed to be destroyed by the Town with a road through. This wetland is also a source of water to the lake. Surely someone will read this and come up with an answer.