Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
The provincial government has attempted to quell some fears about the Clean Water Act held by the rural community by proposing funding to support the efforts of farmers and small rural businesses to reduce threats to drinking water.
An initial $7-million investment in farmer and small business support was among the amendments proposed by the province to the widely discussed Clean Water Act.
The funding would be available in 2007 – 2008 for early action, according to a provincial release.
After the initial stage, the province would address future costs of implementation, according to the release.
Area farmers will view this as a step in the right direction, local farmer and Northumberland Federation of Agriculture (NFA) regional director John Boughen said.
“That will ease a lot of concerns for farmers here,” he said. “This is good news.”
This announcement does not alleviate all rural concerns about the proposed act, Mr. Boughen said. But it does address one of NFA’s major concerns.
Environment Minister Laurel Broten also proposed a special advisory panel made up of agricultural, municipal and conservation authority representatives to advise how to administer funding, according to the release.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the act was introduced to protect existing and future sources of drinking water through local identification of water sources, assessment of drinking water threats and the development of source protection plans addressing the threats.
The proposed legislation calls for the establishment of source protection areas.
Source protection plans must be developed for each area. Conservation authorities are in charge of facilitating the source protection planing process for those areas, according to a ministry description document.
The aim is to keep pollutants out of drinking water sources.
Northumberland Liberal-MPP Lou Rinaldi said he hopes the proposed amendments relieve some rural anxiety over the Clean Water Act.
Further funding assistance cannot be determined until water source studies conducted by conservation authorities reveal exactly how much change is required from the agriculture and rural business sector, he said.
Other proposed amendments include giving risk management officials and property owners the ability to agree on a negotiated risk management plan; increasing the appeal period for a risk management plan to 60 days; replacing permits with risk management plans; and having source protection plans require policies to assist in achieving Great Lakes targets established by the environment ministry.
Allowing negotiation of risk management plans should make it easier for farmers, Mr. Rinaldi said.
“It can be negotiated … so we’re not putting anybody in a box,” he said. “It can be determined on a case by case basis what the impact is.
“We’re not making those rules so stringent. A (local) landowner’s impact may be completely different than someone’s (elsewhere in Ontario).”
The provincial government will remain committed to protecting water sources, Mr. Rinaldi said.