Farmers and rural landowners with property near municipal drinking water wells and intakes in the Grand River watershed may be eligible for grants to undertake projects to protect water quality.
Money is available under the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship early response program for a variety of projects including:
– manure storage 70 per cent to a maximum of $50,000;
– drafting nutrient management plans 75% to a maximum of $2,000; and
– upgrading private wells or decommissioning unused wells 80% to a maximum of $4,000.
The grants are available for properties near the drinking water sources that are the most vulnerable to potential contamination.
Those are within the wellhead protection areas around wells and the intake protection zones around surface water intakes identified through the Drinking Water Source Protection program.
The stewardship program is an initiative of the provincial government. It is administered by the Grand River Conservation Authority.
Funding is limited so not all applications will be approved.
For more information, contact Louise Heyming, conservation specialist with the GRCA, at lheyming@grandriver.ca or 519-621-2761, extension 2278.
