Protecting sources of drinking water – whether groundwater or Lake Ontario water – eases the strain on costly treatment processes and reduces the need to find alternate sources. Within the source protection region, there are areas where pollutants could affect the quality of the sources of drinking water or where people’s activities could impact the amount of water available for use. These areas are called vulnerable.

The Ministry of the Environment has designated four areas to be delineated and studied with respect to vulnerability. These areas warrant a higher level of protection from potential threats to the quality and/or quantity of drinking water sources and include:

For additional information on each of these vulnerable areas, please select from the drop down list above.