Source Water Protection

Source Protection Plan

Protects municipal wells and surface water intakes from specific activities that may pose a threat to drinking water
Clean Water Act was passed to protect drinking water by the Ontario government in 2006 as a result of the Walkerton E. coli outbreak tragedy in May 2000. It establishes process for developing local, watershed-based Source Protection Plans.
Properties may need to follow best management practices to protect our community's water supply from activities occurring on your property

Our responsibilities include:

Reviewing development applications and building permits for source protection concerns
Enforcing prohibitions in the most vulnerable areas for high-risk activities
Negotiating risk management plans to outline best practices to manage threats, and creating education and incentive programs

Resources for activities listed in the Source Protection Plan:

Additional resources available on the Lake Erie Source Protection website.

Building permits and planning approval applications

Every property in a vulnerable area must include a Notice of Source Protection Plan Compliance or Section 59 Notice with a building permit or planning approval application.

The notice is a signed declaration that the activities on the property comply with Source Protection Plan policies
Building permits and planning approval applications for source protection areas are only granted after screening for potential threats to drinking water
Some permits and applications may be refused or may first require a Risk Management Plan
Properties requiring the negotiation of a Risk Management Plan should first contact the Risk Management Official. This is to confirm whether a Risk Management Plan is required and to discuss next steps. The Risk Management Plan includes practices to help reduce the risk of the activity to our drinking water supplies

To submit your application:

First find out if Source Protection Plan policies apply:

Open the Threats and Policy System (TAPS) source water protection mapping tool
Click on "I need a document to attach to a building permit or planning approval application"
Enter the property location
Answer the questions as prompted
Follow instructions on how to proceed

Negotiating your Risk Management Plan

A Risk Management Plan is a legally binding agreement between you and the Region of Waterloo's Risk Management Official. It is a site-specific negotiated agreement identifying best management practices you will use to protect our community's water supply from activities occurring on your property.

Properties requiring a Risk Management Plan will be notified one of two ways:

1. Region of Waterloo Risk Management Official will contact you

Your property is in a source protection area and already doing one of the activities requiring a risk management plan
No actions required until the Risk Management Official contacts you. Many properties require Risk Management Plans. It will take several years to contact everyone.

2. Through the building permit and planning approval application process

Read the Building Permits and Planning Approval Applications section on this page to find out if Source Protection Plan policies apply
We have activity specific resources for properties required to negotiate a Risk Management Plan

Financial incentives

Changing practices can be difficult and expensive. Financial incentives are available through the Source Protection Plan. The incentives help offset the cost to implement source protection policies. The Risk Management Official will inform you of available incentives while working with you on source protection policies that apply to your property.

Septic systems

Region of Waterloo Septic Pump Out Rebate program

To be eligible for funding, all of the following criteria must be met:

Your septic system is in Waterloo Region and requires a municipal septic inspection under the Ontario Building Code for the purposes of drinking water source protection
Septic system pump out was accepted by your municipal building official for the purposes of the Ontario Building Code septic inspection process
Septic inspection was completed on or before August 16, 2027
Authorization form is submitted to the Region of Waterloo by December 1, 2027

Region of Waterloo Septic Pump Out Rebate Program form

Private groundwater well

Available for decommissioning and upgrading private wells to protect municipal sources of drinking water. Contact the Region of Waterloo Risk Management Official for details and eligibility

Private well owners are responsible for keeping their wells in good working condition, and properly decommissioning wells that are no longer in use under Ontario Regulation 903. Decommissioning is the process of plugging and sealing the well to prevent bacteria and contaminants from entering groundwater and negatively affecting water quality in other drinking water wells