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Policy Id:
SPR/SPA:
Risk:
2.52
Lower Thames Valley, St. Clair Region, Upper Thames River
Significant
Implementing Body
Legal Effect
Policy Tool
Threat Type
Status
Comment
MECP – NMA - ASM and NASM Inspections
Strategic
Specify Actions to be taken to implement plan or achieve its objectives
Future & Existing
Implemented
The Ministry undertakes an annual planned inspection program that addresses risk to human and environmental health at Agricultural sites. Inspections target Agricultural Source Material (ASM) and Non-Agricultural Source Material (NASM) as regulated under the Nutrient Management Act. An intentional, core function of the Nutrient Management Act is to keep nutrients, pathogens and contaminants away from wells and surface water which in turn support the objectives of Source Water Protection. Inspections are designed to prioritize operations which could present a higher risk to these features. Each year diagnostics are completed on the results of these various inspections. DWECD inspection programs are run on a fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) rather than a calendar year basis. The IT system used to track inspections under the general agriculture program in FY 2022-23 does not currently include Source Protection information. This issue is expected to be resolved in the future. Given this temporary limitation, we can only provide high-level inspection data. A total of 204 agricultural inspections were completed in fiscal year 2022-23. One or more legal violations were identified in 108 (53%) of the 204 inspections. At the conclusion of 2022-23 fiscal, most non-compliances were resolved with ongoing abatement in only 26 (13%) of the inspections.
Policy Text:
To reduce the risk to municipal drinking water sources from activities that are regulated under the Nutrient Management Act, where such activities are, or would be, a significant drinking water threat, the Province, through the Ministry of Environment Agricultural Officer, should consider source protection information as a criterion when setting inspection targets and priorities as part of the Ministry's on-farm compliance program.
Monitoring Text:
(5.04): Ministry of Environment, 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 where that guidance identifies items required to meet provincial reporting requirements of the implementer or SPA. Aspects of the guidance which are beyond that which is necessary to satisfy provincial reporting requirements shall be considered in submitting the monitoring reports. 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.
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