Best Practices for Source Water Protection

Groundwater is water that flows through underground spaces between particles of rock and soil, or crevices and cracks in rocks.

The water filling these spaces is usually within 30 metres of the surface. Groundwater ultimately flows slowly through water-bearing formations called aquifers at different rates, and the flow rate can affect the water quantity and quality in your wells. The larger the particles, the faster the water will travel. 

It exists almost everywhere underground which is why many rural communities depend on wells. You can learn more about groundwater systems through this  video :

Take a look at the type of soil you have and how well the water passes through it. This is often referred to as the permeability of the soil.

• The permeability of the soil relates to how quickly contaminants can reach your well from where they may have been released into the environment.
• The more permeable the soil is, the faster it can reach your drinking water system.

The soil's thickness can also help determine how vulnerable your groundwater is. For example, if you can see rocks, or can’t dig very far until you hit rocks, then you have thin soil layers, which are usually more vulnerable than thicker layers. If you would like to know the vulnerability of your groundwater source, contact a hydrogeologist or a  licensed well contractor .

To learn more about your drinking water risk factors and assessment of risk, please use the following resources:

• The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs'  SepticSmart! Booklet .
• Municipal mapping systems (GIS)
• The  property/lot fabric  can give you a sense of how many people are located in your area based on township lot mapping but note that many vacant lots may be present in rural areas, which won’t be a good indicator of population density.
• Development/building approval records, land use and zoning maps, and official plans from your local municipality can help you determine the types of land use in your area.
  • If you are interested in obtaining zoning maps please contact your municipal office.
•  Water Well Information System  records can help with the assessment of the number and construction details of wells in your area.
•  Permit to Take Water Records  can be used to assess how much water is approved for use by permit holders (actual amounts used may be less).
• Environmental Compliance Approval records through  Access Environment  can provide information on activities in your area that are regulated by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
• Vulnerability mapping from the  Source Protection Information Atlas  can give you vulnerability scores for locations within established source protection areas.
• For information on water quality,  drinking water quality and enforcement  records, local health department records on water quality, hydrological/hydrogeological studies conducted by municipalities, conservation authorities or consultants, and available monitoring data from the  Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network  or  surface water monitoring stations  can be accessed.

If you are interested in implementing protection zones larger than the 100 metre radius suggested by the Directors Technical Rules, consult the suggest arbitrary fixed radiuses. These are based on averages in provincially approved source protection plans. If you know which contaminants you want to protect against, you can choose to delineate protection zones that correlate with the times of travel for the contaminant of concern.

You can also use other  scientific methods  to protect your drinking water sources, including:

• Calculated fixed radius
• Modified calculated fixed radius
• Half-circle calculated fixed radius
• Uniform flow method
• Two-dimensional analytical model
• Computer-based three-dimensional model

Most of these methods require the help of a Professional Geoscientist or Professional Engineer. Professionals can be found through local listings in your area, or through the public registers of Professional Geoscientists on the  Professional Geoscientists Ontario  website and Professional Engineers on the  Professional Engineers Ontario  website.

review the  Government of Ontario's guidelines  for these scientific methods to create surface water protection zones

Abandoned, or unused wells can cause significant contamination issues.

• They can create Transport Pathways
  • Transport pathways are human-made passages where water can flow into drinking water wells. This can make it easy for contaminants to travel directly into your drinking water systems without having to travel through sediment.
• They can also become a physical hazard because animals, children, or adults may fall into the large diameter opening.

We highly recommend that you hire a  licensed well contactor  to decommission any abandoned or unused wells because there are regulatory requirements that must be met for proper abandonment ( O.Reg. 903 ).

Many issues can occur with water wells. Some of the most common issues include bacteria in wells, decreased yield, and a change of taste, odour, and/or colour. For a more comprehensive list of water quality issues, please view the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ website for  Well Problems and Rehabilitation . You can also consult a  licensed well contractor  for an expert’s opinion. For a quick summary of how to care for your well, review the section of this storymap or watch the video  Well Aware: A Well Owner's Guide to Safe Water .

• Conservation Ontario and Source Protection Branch at the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks:  source.protection@ontario.ca 
• Public Health Units:  Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Public Health Unit Locations 
• Conservation Authorities: there are 36 conservation authorities located in Ontario.  Find your local conservation authority .
•  Licensed Well Contractors 
•  Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario 
•  Ontario Association Of Certified Engineering Technicians And Technologists 
•  Professional Engineers Ontario 
•  Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Publication Online : Information on care and maintenance of private wells; including, what to do in times of water shortage, maintaining water quality, protecting drinking water and proper construction and abandonment of wells.
•  Ontario Ground Water Association (OGWA) : “created in 1952 as a not-for-profit organization to facilitate the various sectors of the groundwater industry coming together for the delivery of safe and clean water supplies throughout the Province.”
• Spills Action Centre: 1-800-268-6060
• Learn how to  Complete and Submit a Well Record  in Ontario.
• Find your  Ontario well record .

•  Canadian Groundwater Association : “national voice of the groundwater industry in Canada”; includes numerous fact sheets on groundwater and sanitizing a water well, etc.”
•  Canadian Waste Water Agency (CWWA) : provides wastewater treatment resources
•  Environment Canada : Green Lane: provides information about environmental preservation including the conservation and protection of Canada’s water resource.
•  The Walkerton Clean Water Centre : for information about training courses for well technicians in Ontario.
•  Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) : provides wastewater treatment resources.
•  Canadian Water Resources Association : “Promoting Effective Water Management”
•  Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA) : “A voluntary membership organization of drinking water professionals dedicated to protecting public health through the delivery of safe, sufficient and sustainable drinking water in Ontario.”