City council plans to make a change to the area of eligibility for provincial money for projects that will help protect the city’s water supply.

Council, sitting as planning committee last night, which means the item must go to a regular session of council for approval, endorsed the expanded zone.

The province is offering money through the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program to protect source water.

The area for eligibility for property owners to apply for money has been expanded to include land within 120 metres of the banks of the Otonabee River, from the power dam below the water intake at the south end of Riverview Park and Zoo, to a point one kilometre upstream of the intake.

The current area includes land within a 200-metre radius of the surface water intake location.

Property owners can get provincial funding such as 80% of the cost, or up to $7,000 for regular systems and $15,000 for advanced septic systems, to upgrade septic systems and 80% of the cost or up to $4,000 to decommission.