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Policy Id:

SPR/SPA:

Risk:

1.02

Lower Thames Valley, St. Clair Region, Upper Thames River

Significant

Implementing Body

Legal Effect

Policy Tool

Threat Type

Status

Comment

MTO - Signage

Strategic

Education / Outreach

Future & Existing

Implemented

MTO and MECP worked together on the Vulnerable Area Road Sign initiative to identify drinking water protection zones in Source Protection Areas (SPAs) across Ontario. Sign design and supporting implementation policy was led by MTO in consultation with the MECP and Source Protection chairs/project managers. In October 2015, MECP provided all SPAs with the final MTO sign design for use on Ontario’s provincial and municipal roads. This portion of the policy is deemed completed. MTO manufactured signs for all source protection regions. The ministry reviewed requests for signs located on provincial highways, submitted by source protection chairs through the MECP, and conducted a safety assessment to ensure sign locations were in accordance with provincial standards for sign placement. MTO sought input from SPAs (through MECP) and provided notice of the approximate locations where provincial highway signs were to be installed in their source protection region. Signs have been installed at 128 identified locations (includes all Source Protection Regions/Areas) on provincial highways. MTO will maintain the signs installed along provincial highways as part of provincial highway infrastructure. All 6 signs approved for this region have been installed. Hwy 4 Northbound, 250m South of Thirteen Mile Road Hwy 4 Southbound, 70m South of Thirteen Mile Road Hwy 19 Southbound, 510m North of Mount Elgin Road Hwy 19 Northbound, 330m North of Mount Elgin Road Hwy 401 Eastbound, 1 km West of Culloden Road Hwy 401 Westbound, 1 km West of Culloden Road

Policy Text:

In accordance with Section 22 (7) of the Clean Water Act, the Ministry of Transportation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment as well as in consultation with Source Protection Authorities (SPAs), should design signage, to the appropriate Provincial standards, to identify the locations of Wellhead Protection Areas (WHPA) and Intake Protection Zones (IPZ). The Ministry of Transportation should manufacture, install and maintain the signs along Provincial highways within WHPAs with a vulnerability score of 10, within IPZs with a vulnerability score of 8 or higher, or within an IPZ-3 (event based areas).

Monitoring Text:

5.06: Ministry of Transportation and all other implementers, shall establish monitoring programs as per Section 45 of the Clean Water Act. The information collected through these monitoring programs shall be included in a monitoring report that shall be submitted annually to the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. The information submitted to the Conservation Authority shall be consistent with the guidance developed pursuant to policy 5.02. Monitoring reports are to be submitted by February 1 of each year following the first anniversary of the effective date of the Source Protection Plan. Monitoring reports shall include information since the submission of the previous monitoring report to December 31 of the year previous to the deadline for report submission. For the first report, the information shall include information from the effective date of the Source Protection Plan.