About

Clean drinking water is critical to our communities, environment, and economy.

Human activities can pose a threat to sources of drinking water, now and in the future. Sources of drinking water include lakes, rivers (surface water), and aquifers (groundwater). For safe drinking water tomorrow, we need to protect our drinking water sources today. 

The Clean Water Act, 2006, is part of a multi-barrier approach to protect drinking water from source to tap. The Drinking Water Source Protection Program is the first barrier. It protects the sources of water that supply municipal residential drinking water systems.

Our partners in protecting drinking water sources in the Otonabee-Peterborough Source Protection Area include the Province of Ontario, Conservation Ontario and the Trent Conservation Coalition.

We all have a role to play in caring for our water. Learn how to protect the source of your drinking water using the Guide to Best Practices for Source Water Protection, or participate in a Drinking Water Wise Webinar.