Council here is asking the province to make a commitment to municipalities and conservation authorities to pay for the source water protection plans that are being created by area source water protection committees.

Council passed a resolution introduced by Coun. Larry Ellis calling on the province to be responsible for “all future costs” associated with implementing and enforcing the source water protection plans that have been mandated under Ontario’s Clean Water Act to protect municipal drinking water systems.

The resolution states that municipalities such as Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township have spent “astronomical amounts of money” to upgrade their water systems to provide clean water from the tap. And although the province has covered the costs of the source water protection process so far, it has not committed further funding for the final stages when the plans are implemented.

Ellis, who has been council’s representative on the regional source water protection committee, said he has been concerned about the cost of implementing the plans since he became involved in the source water protection process. The amount of money municipalities can draw from their property tax base has reached its limit, he said, stressing that municipalities can’t pay more provincially-mandated costs.

“My goal in all this is to make sure our taxpayers are not footing the bill,” he said. “I’ve asked the question several times at the appropriate places in the process, without a definite answer.”

Ellis said he wants to see Minister of the Environment John Gerretsen “step up to the plate” and promise municipalities and conservation authorities there will be no costs downloaded to implement the source water protection plans.

Ellis added that the province should also extend stewardship plan funding for residents facing possible threats to their wells.

via Province asked to pick up bill for water protection – Community Press – Ontario, CA.