The Ontario government is seeking public input on how much water ought to be taken from underground aquifers, ponds, rivers and the Great Lakes.
It’s a hot-button issue in the area around Guelph where Nestle has been taking water to sell in bottles.
Residents near the Aberfoyle site, just north of Highway 201 at Highway 6, have opposed applications to increase volumes taken. That was put on hold by the Liberals and was extended by the Ford Conservatives in 2018 and again last year.
The locals also insisted the province increase fees, which it has done.
Nestle then ran into opposition when it began exploratory drilling near Elora. The municipality bought the property, heading off Nestle.
Then a company from China proposed to draw 1.6 million litres a day for bottling in Guelph-Eramosa Township. That’s on hold, pending the outcome of the provincial consultations.
Now the province said it’s proposal “aims to protect the long-term sustainability of surface water and groundwater and ensure these important resources are responsibly managed and safeguarded now, and into the future, as committed in the province’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan.
“The proposal would also give municipalities a greater say in allowing companies to withdraw groundwater in their communities for bottled water.
“We can’t take our water for granted – it is a vital resource for our health and well-being, and to the way of life we all enjoy,” said Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.“Ontarians can be confident our water resources are protected by good policy based on solid science and evidence, but we must always be prepared to adapt. Based on initial input from our stakeholders and Indigenous communities, we have put forward proposed enhancements to our water taking rules that will create a more flexible and robust program.”
The proposed changes include:
· Requiring water bottling companies to have the support of their host municipalities for new and increasing bottled water takings, with an exemption for small businesses.
· Establishing priorities of water use in the province that can guide water taking decisions.
· Assessing and managing multiple water takings together in areas of the province where water sustainability is a concern.
· Making water taking data available to the public to increase transparency of how Ontario manages water resources.
The proposals are open for comment until Aug. 2. They are on the internet at water quantity management proposal,
