SAULT STE. MARIE – New road signs were installed this week in the Sault Ste. Marie Region Source Protection Area. The new signs are part of a provincial awareness initiative about protecting drinking water sources. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and the Ministry of Transportation have installed signs on provincial roads near Drinking Water Protection Zones.

 

“Public awareness about where our drinking water comes from, will empower residents to take action and better protect their local water sources”, said Rhonda Bateman, General Manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority (SSMRCA).

 

The Drinking Water Protection Zone signs are located close to the Steelton well on Second Line West and the Goulais well near the corner of Second Line West and Goulais Avenue. These zones are provided with special protection under the Sault Ste. Marie Region Source Protection Plan – a local plan developed under Ontario’s Clean Water Act.

 

Locally, The SSMRCA and City of Sault Ste. Marie have been working together to implement the policies in the Plan since it came into effect in July 2015.

 

The Walkerton tragedy set in motion events that have changed the way we view our right in Ontario to safe, clean drinking water. Protecting drinking water at its source is the first step in a multi-barrier approach to protecting our sources of drinking water from becoming contaminated.

 

For more information on Drinking Water Source Protection visit our website at www.ssmrca.ca/drinking-water-source-protection or call (705) 946-8530.

 

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Christine Ropeter

Assistant Manager & DWSP Communications

(705) 946-8530 ext. 201