The continued safety of Guelph's drinking water is at the forefront of new water protection policies that come into effect July 1.
Provincial legislation has put much of the power for policing and protecting municipal water supply in the hands of the municipalities themselves.
That means the city will have an increased role in identifying and policing potential threats.
"I think we're in a better, safer place than we were a year ago," said Peter Rider, the City of Guelph's newly-appointed Risk Management Official who will oversee the new policies.
Those 72 policies aren't really directed at individual homeowners, who usually do not have the kinds of contaminants in significant qualities that could seriously jeopardize the city's drinking water.
Instead they are aimed at businesses, industry and institutions.
"In terms of individual homes, there's really not a whole lot of concern from the Ministry of the Environment or the municipality. Typically, anything they might have would be in very small volumes," Rider said.
He said an initial assessment showed 1,400 businesses and institutions that are a potential threat, given their proximity to watersheds and municipal wells that could contaminate Guelph's drinking water.
"That's pretty much the whole city, because we are the largest community in Canada that's dependent on groundwater for its drinking water," he said.
Rider expects that number to shrink significantly upon further assessment and investigation.
The city will also be inspecting businesses and institutions, sometimes unannounced, to make sure they are adhering to the new policies when it comes to handling, storage, and disposal of potential contaminants such as oil, gas and chemicals.
He and his staff will work with businesses and institutions to make sure they are following protocols.
All Ontario municipalities, under the provincial Clean Water Act, are required to develop and implement Source Protection Plans to protect existing and future municipal drinking water supplies and safeguard human health and the environment.
More information about Guelph’s source water protection efforts and policies is available on guelph.ca/sourcewater.
