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Municipal Drinking Water System

Peterborough

The Peterborough Municipal Surface Water System is 1 of 12 municipal residential drinking water systems in the Otonabee-Peterborough Source Protection Area

Peterborough Intake Protection Zone Map

The Wellhead Protection Area is shown in red on the map.

About this drinking water system

Drinking Water Source Surface Water (Otonabee River)

Owned by Peterborough Utilities Commission

Operated by PUG Services Corp.

Serviced Population 79,320 (approximately)

Source: Trent Assessment Report, 2022

Drinking Water Threats

Human activities can pose a threat to sources of drinking water, now and in the future. Trent Source Protection Plan policies protect sources of municipal drinking water. These policies manage threats in vulnerable areas including the Intake Protection Zone for the Peterborough Municipal Surface Water System.

The Clean Water Act, 2006, identifies 22 activities that can pose a threat to sources of drinking water. To keep things simple, we’ve grouped them into the seven categories below.

Improperly maintained septic systems and storm water runoff can transport chemicals, bacteria and viruses into a drinking water source.

Unsafe handling or storage of products such as paint, fuel, used motor oil and solvents - a small quantity can contaminate large amounts of water. This category includes hydrocarbon pipelines.

Improper use or storage of products like paint removers, adhesives, stains, oils, and metal cleaner.

Storage and land application of pesticides, commercial fertilizers, and other nutrients (e.g. manure); livestock pasturing, grazing and confinement.

Excessive salt use on roads, parking lots, and other surfaces and stored salt that may be exposed to precipitation or runoff.

Run-off from melting piles of plowed snow (e.g. in parking lots). Plowed snow is “dirty”, often contaminated by salt, oil, grease, heavy metals and other pollutants.

Taking water without replacing it and activities that prevent rain or snow from entering the ground can lead to a water shortage.

There is a local threat in the Otonabee-Peterborough Source Protection Area. It is landscaping (e.g. mown grass) that promotes waterfowl gathering next to watercourses.

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