Help keep drinking water safe and clean

Agricultural operations can potentially threaten drinking water due to possible runoff or leaked contaminants such as nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pathogens.

Care and maintenance tips:

• Plant native vegetation along rivers or streams to prevent erosion and runoff.
• Use fencing to restrict livestock access to rivers or streams.
• Maintain setbacks from rivers or streams when applying nutrients or pesticides
• Store manure properly.
• Store fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals properly and monitor containers for leaks.
• Properly maintain private water wells and decommission abandoned wells.

Related resources:

• Best Management Practices (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Runoff, Erosion Protection and Additional Best Management Practices (Conservation Ontario)
• Education and Outreach for Source Protection - Agriculture, Nutrients and Pesticides (Conservation Ontario)
• Peel Rural Water Quality Program (Peel Region)

Care and maintenance tips:

• Check regularly for signs of tank corrosion.
• Ensure that your tank is properly maintained.
• Remove unused tanks and fill or vent pipes.
• Replace your fuel tank with a double-walled or double-bottomed tank and install a drip tray alarm on an indoor tank.

Related resources:

• Home Heating Oil Storage (Conservation Ontario)

Private wells

Unused or poorly maintained private wells can transport contaminants to groundwater sources.

It’s your responsibility to protect and maintain a private well on your property.

Care and maintenance tips:

• Have your active well inspected regularly by a licensed well contractor.
• Make sure your well has a proper cap to guard against potential surface contamination or pests.
• Have your water tested regularly.
• Have your unused well properly decommissioned by a licensed well contractor.

If you have an old, unused private residential well, you might qualify to have your well decommissioned for free through our Private Well Abandonment Program.

Related resources:

• Education and Outreach for Source Protection – Well Abandonment and Testing
• Protecting Peel’s water

Septic systems

If you have a septic system, ensure it’s functioning properly.

Poorly maintained septic systems can leak contaminants into groundwater and surface water, potentially threatening our drinking water sources.

Care and maintenance tips:

• Be mindful of what you put into your septic system. Use septic-friendly cleaning products.
• Do not pour grease, food, paint, pesticides, or toxic chemicals down your drain.
• Know where your tank and leaching bed are located and avoid parking vehicles on or driving over your tank and leaching bed.
• Do not construct driveways, buildings, or pools on or near any part of the septic system. Keep trees and shrubs away from the leaching bed.
• Have your septic tank pumped out at the appropriate frequency (generally every 3 to 5 years). Keep a record of your pump-out so you’ll know when to schedule another.
• Know the signs of a failing septic system. Carry out routine surface checks of your septic system to ensure that there are no soggy areas or ‘break outs’ of sewage on the surface of the ground.
• Efficient water use can improve the operation of your septic system. If you have a lot of household laundry, try to spread your water usage throughout the week rather than doing multiple loads of laundry in one day.

Related resources:

• SepticSmart! (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Education and Outreach for Source Protection – On-site Sewage (Septic) Systems (Conservation Ontario)
• Resources for homeowner (Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre)

The potential for sodium chloride runoff from road salt and snow storage can impact the quality of our groundwater and surface water sources.

Care and maintenance tips:

• Always shovel before applying salt and avoid using salt excessively.
• Follow the manufacturer’s direction for applying de-icing products.
• Do not apply salt when the temperature falls below -10°C (14°F). Applying salt when it’s this cold will not melt ice.
• Ensure contractors are using best management practices for snow removal and de-icing.
• Ensure snow is piled away from storm sewers, septic beds, and wells.

Related resources:

• Good practices for winter maintenance in salt-vulnerable areas (Conservation Ontario and Ontario Good Roads Association)
• Smart About Salt™ training and certification program (Smart About Salt™ Council)
• Education and Outreach for Source Protection – Road Salt/Snow Storage (Conservation Ontario)
• Parking lot design guidelines (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• Manage salt use (Peel Region)