SOURCE PROTECTION PLANNING

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SOURCE PROTECTION PLANNING

• Building Trust Partnership between Biosolids
  Generating and Receiving Communities Seminar
• December 7, 2005
• Heather Malcolmson, Manager, Source Protection
  Planning
• Drinking Water Program Management Branch

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Source Protection A Risk Management Approach to
Protecting Drinking Water

• How does legislation propose a source protection
  plan be developed.
• What does this mean to the application of
  biosolids.
• How can you provide input into how biosolids are
  addressed through Source Protection.

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Creating a legacy of prevention

• The Ontario government is committed to developing
  the most comprehensive water-protection program
  in North America
• We are protecting the quality and quantity of
  our drinking water for future generations.
• Source protection is the first stage in a
  multi-barrier approach to ensure the quality and
  quantity of our water resources in order to
• Safeguard human health
• Help maintain and enhance the ecological,
  recreational and commercial values of our water
  resources
• The government established the two
  multi-stakeholder expert source protection
  committees, the Implementation (IC) and Technical
  Experts (TEC) committees, who have provided
  advice to the province on the development of
  provincial policies for watershed-based source
  protection planning.

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Implementing Source Water Protection Core
Principles

• Based on our progress to date the following
  principles form the
• foundation for our road map
• Collaboration/partnerships shared responsibility
• Public participation and transparency
• Sustainability and continuous improvement
• Comprehensiveness, coordination, integration
• Clear Accountability effective decision making
• Information sharing and management
• A precautionary, risk-based approach
• Cost effectiveness and fairness
• Pragmatism We want a results-based approach that
  works!

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Developing a Source Protection Plan

• The key elements of the process are
• Watershed Characterization
• Issues Identification/Threats Inventory
• Risk Assessment/Categorization
• Risk Management Objectives
• Risk Management Plan
• Implementation Plan
• The public is consulted throughout the process
  and each report is subject to review and approval
  by the Minister of the Environment.

Assessment Report
Source Protection Plan
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The Threats Assessment Framework

• Framework to develop the Assessment Report.

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The Assessment Report

• Watershed Characterization
• Watershed Characterization contains four major
  sub-elements watershed description, water
  budgets, water quality conditions, and protection
  area delineation.
• The watershed description will compile available
  background information (e.g. physical
  characteristics, population distribution, land
  uses) to provide context for source protection
  planning
• Water budgets identify water resources, compare
  uses, and withdrawals to identify where
  cumulative water withdrawals, current or future,
  pose a risk to the sustainability of drinking
  water supplies
• Water Quality Trends in surface and groundwater
  sources are documented to establish baselines and
  identify potential water quality issues
• Protection area delineation uses scientific
  models and analysis to identify designated
  vulnerable areas and set out drinking water
  protection areas Wellhead Protection Areas,
  Intake Protection Zones, Highly Vulnerable Areas,
  Areas of Significant Recharge

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The Assessment Report

• Issues Identification/Threat Inventory
• This step involves identification of threats to
  drinking water sources and existing watershed
  issues that may have an impact on drinking water
  quality
• The goal is to generate a list of all of the
  threats and issues that will need to be assessed
  to determine their level of risk to drinking
  water sources
• Proposed Approach
• MOE will work to develop a provincial threats
  database that will identify common threats to
  drinking water sources and contain generic hazard
  information
• Province will identify a set of Threats of
  Provincial Concern that must be inventoried and
  identified within designated vulnerable areas.
• Local committees would use the provincial
  database to guide the identification of threats
  present in the designated vulnerable areas
  threats would be mapped using GIS.
• MOE will work to develop guidelines on
  microbiological characterization to be used by
  local committees

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The Assessment Report

• Risk Assessment
• For each issue/threat identified, the committee
  analyzes the quantity, severity, irreversibility,
  and magnitude of the threat
• The committee also assesses the vulnerability of
  the drinking water source to the impacts of the
  issue/threat.
• i.e. can the threat/issue get to the drinking
  water?
• Using this information, the committee determines
  how much risk is posed by the threat/issue.

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The Assessment Report

• Risk Categorization
• MOE to develop a science-based, semi-quantitative
  approach to assess and categorize risks
• The assessment process will place risks into one
  of 4 risk categories
• Significant Risk, Moderate Risk, Low Risk,
  Negligible Risk
• Threats of Provincial concern should not be
  categorized as Negligible Risk
• Benchmarks and guidance for local committees on
  how to categorize risks would be provided by the
  province
• Information in the provincial Threats Inventory
  will provide data for initial assessment,
  supplemented by information collected locally

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The Source Protection Plan

• Risk management options for reducing risks are
  identified/ developed, evaluated and chosen by
  the committee
• Plans indicate who will implement what, and when
  implementation will occur
• Proposed Approach
• Legislation to require that Significant Risks be
  substantially reduced in a timely fashion
• Province will develop guidance on how significant
  risks could be managed, including developing new
  Best Management Practices where needed
• For significant risks, implementation of measures
  to reduce risks will be mandatory for moderate
  risks or low risks, it is expected the committee
  will implement actions that will achieve the
  objectives identified, as soon as feasible
• MOE will work with partners to develop BMPs for
  common threats to drinking water
• The Crown (MOE, MNR, MMAH, OMAF and their
  sectors) will facilitate sharing of Risk
  Management practices between watersheds

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What does this all mean for the application of
biosolids?
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Source Water Protection Biosolids

• At watershed scale risk based approach will be
  used to protect drinking water sources.
• Low to No risk
• Source Protection Plan would not impose
  additional restrictions on biosolids application.
  Education and outreach continues to promote BMPs
• Moderate Risk
• Source Protection Plan would require monitoring
  of threat, for example pathogens, to ensure the
  risk is not increasing.
• Significant Risk
• Mandatory Risk Management Measures
• Risk Management measures are to be determined
  through consultation with the regulated
  community, ongoing research, and the province.
• In many cases it may just mean implement BMPs,
  eliminate pathogens, setbacks.
• In some areas application of biosolids may not be
  appropriate (100 m zone).

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Source Water Protection Biosolids

• How can you help
• Provide input into the process How do we reduce
  pathogen risk?
• Process is outcome based - lower the risk of
  pathogens impacting drinking water.
• What are the risk management measures.
• Heat treatment
• Composting
• Dont apply it
• ????

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Thanks !

• Questions?

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Source Protection Planning the Road Map
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• Implementation
• Local authorities put the plan into action

MOE Approves Source Protection plan
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• Source Protection Board (SPB)
• SPB CA Board
• Establishes SPC, recommends plan to MOE for
  approval

• Source Protection Plan
• details of how risks to drinking water sources
  will be managed, who will participate, and how
  progress will be monitored

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2

• Source Protection Committee (SPC)
• Oversees development of plan
• Establishes working groups
• Encourages public participation
• Ensures scientific accuracy

To MOE via SPB

• Working Groups
• set up by SPC to coordinate sector input and
  consultations (e.g. agriculture, industry)

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Assessment Report
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Watershed Characterization

• Terms of Reference
• High level goals/objectives
• Set in regulation

Issues/ Threats Identification
Risk Assessment