Several area municipalities will be able to dip into a $1.785 million pool to assist them with regulated source water protection work.
The funding is part of the province’s commitment of $13.5 million over the next three years to help support small, rural municipalities implement their source protection plans.
Source protection planning was a recommendation of the Walkerton inquiry. In 2000, seven people died and more than 2,000 became sick after drinking contaminated water supplied by the Walkerton Drinking Water System.
“We are taking care with source-to-tap protection of drinking water so we never have another Walkerton,” said environment minister Jim Bradley in a media release.
Municipalities across the province are taking steps to protect wellhead areas and water intake zones such as upgrading fuel tanks to provide more protective spill containment and engineering stream banks to protect water from run-off and erosion.
Grants range from $18,000 to $100,000. Municipalities have already worked with their partners to identify significant drinking water threats and complete source water protection plans.
Municipalities will also develop education and outreach programs about threats to their local drinking water supplies and best practices for dealing with these threats.
There are 19 source protection regions across the province.
Wellington County has received $45,000 from the fund. Lower tier municipalities within the county receiving funding, include Erin, $52,000; Centre Wellington, $51,326; Guelph/Eramosa, $45,000; Mapleton, $49,739; Minto, $100,000; Puslinch, $45,000 and Wellington North, $94,608.
Municipalities may be eligible for an additional collaboration incentive of up to $15,000 if they collaborate with other municipalities, the ministry of environment reported.
