Time is running out for landowners to take advantage of a program that provides grants for projects that protect the sources of municipal drinking water.
Money is available to the end of the year under the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Early Response Program for a variety of projects The grants are available for properties near the municipal drinking water sources that are the most vulnerable to potential contamination. These are within the Wellhead Protection Areas around municipal wells and the Intake Protection Zones around surface water intakes identified through the Drinking Water Source Protection Program. Old and unused private wells can become a pathway for contaminants to get from the surface to the aquifer supplying water to the municipal wells.
The money is available through the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program, administered by the Grand River Conservation Authority. The money is provided by the Ministry of the Environment as part of implementation of the Clean Water Act.
Funding is limited so not all applications will be approved.
For more information, contact Jenn Deter, Conservation Specialist with the GRCA at jdeter@grandriver.ca or 519-621-2761, Ext. 2268.
