Module 11 – Review – Protect Water

Review of your drinking water source protection learning to date.

Module 11 – Review

“Let’s treat this planet as if we plan to stay here and not as if it’s a disposable item. Mars is not ready yet and never will be.”
– Monte Hummel, taken from Part Two, Message in the Bones, ‘Thinking like a Mountain,’ by Robert Bateman.

Learning Expectations

By the end of the Module you will be able to:
Identify what has been learned through assessment reports (groundwater vulnerability, surface water vulnerability, groundwater threats, surface water threats, water quality risks)
Reflect on role of community and working groups in process; identify successes, challenges; barriers and benefits
Identify local concerns and potential issues that should be conveyed to source protection committee
Identify areas for future study or data gaps

Section One – Module Content

Learning Expectations and Learning Activities

Source Protection Plan Chapter 1 is called Background.

Chapter 1 of the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Assessment Reports is called Introduction.

Chapter 8 of the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield Assessment Reports is called Key Outcomes.

Unit 1 – Preparing to Provide Strategic Advice

Recalling Where We’ve Been

Resetting the Target – The Purpose of Modules 11 and 12

Unit 2 – Defining Your Role in Setting Strategy

What is Strategic Planning?

The Drinking Water Source Protection Planning Process

What will the Source Protection Plans Look Like?

Defining Your Role

Unit 3 – A Progress Report on the Source Protection Plan: Part I

A Local Vision for Drinking Water Source Protection

How can we clarify our local vision?

How can we expand our local vision?

Strategic Issues in Overview

Strategic Issues Requiring Action under the Ontario Clean Water Act, 2006 and other legislation and regulations

Logging and Linking

Unit 4 – Assessing and Ranking Non-mandated Strategic Issues

Logging and Linking – Strategic Issues Outside the Ontario Clean Water Act, 2006 (Non-mandated Strategic Concerns and Potential Issues; Have-regard-for policies)

Developing a Ranking System

Assessing and Ranking Non-mandated Strategic Issues

Unit 5 – Strategic Directions and Goals

Review Source Protection Committee Strategic Directions and Goals

Contemplating Revision:

Clarifying Strategic Directions and Goals

Adding Strategic Directions and Goals

Logging and Linking

Unit 6 – Wrapping it up

Summarizing and Looking Ahead to Module 12.

Field Learning

More Help

Activity 1 – Facilitated Group Dialogue – Title: Field Learning Review

As a group, take up the findings from your field learning assignment.

What Water Response Teams are there in the watersheds?

What low water advisories have been issued, if any?

What other efforts exist to conserve water?

(Visit mvca.on.ca or abca.ca and type ‘water conservation’ into the search engine – What do you find?)

Unit 1 – Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Headed

Activity 2 – Multimedia Presentation – Title: How far have we come?

View the twenty-two minute movie, ‘The Ripple Effect,’ produced by Conservation Ontario or the six-minute ‘Act for Clean Water DVD’ produced by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Multimedia Services in 2007.

What has changed since the source protection project began?
What is the process?
Where are we at in the process?
What are the challenges we face?

Activity 3 – Group Activity – Four Corners – Title: Sharing Perspectives

Go to a corner of the room.

Select the corner which matches your viewpoint on the question posed.

(Strongly agree, strongly disagree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree.)

If you were watching television, which genre of TV program would you be most likely to watch?

Go to the corner of the room which most closely matches your preference:

a) Sports

b) Comedy

c) Drama

d) Reality

Then, when instructed, pick the corner that most reflects your view (Strongly agree, strongly disagree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree) of the following statement:

We have a good overview of the issues

We need to have more meetings

There has been enough communication with the source protection committee

The Source Protection Committee has done a good job listening to the working groups

The local populace is better educated about drinking water source protection now than it was at the beginning of the planning process

Our sources of drinking water will be better protected when the plan is implemented

Activity 4 – Group Dialogue

Share questions, concerns and suggestions related to the following areas. You may choose to break out into small groups to handle one of the following issues:

Watershed Characterization

Watershed Description

Water Quality

Vulnerable Areas

Issues Inventory

Water Budget

Water quantity

Municipal supply

Quantity risks

Watershed Assessment

Groundwater vulnerability

Surface water vulnerability

Groundwater threats

Surface water threats

Drinking Water Risks

Activity 5 – Presentation – Title: What do the source protection plans look like?

(Visit sourcewaterinfo.on.ca for copies of the plans.)

How are land use activities managed in defined vulnerable areas in order to protect drinking water?
How do the source protection plans engage the community?
What recommendations might be made about preserving, improving or introducing programs for drinking water source protection?
How will community organizations and citizens be involved and informed?

Activity 6 – Small Group Activity – Title: Q & A

In small groups develop lists of gaps you see or questions you would like answered by one or more of the following:

Hydrogeologist

Planner

Water Resource Manager

Municipal representative

Source Protection Committee

Province of Ontario (Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; or Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Municipal Affairs and Housing; etc.)

Government of Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Health Canada; etc.)

Activity 7 – Small Group Activity – Title: The Wisdom of Crowds

In your small break-out group review the position of James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds.

He argues that a group of ordinary people with sufficient diversity of membership, and unbiased by pre-conceived notions and independent of the decision-maker, will usually reach conclusions that are superior to those of a committee of experts.

Is this supported by your experiences?

How so?
How not?

Activity 8 – Small Group Activity – Title: Helping you do your job

Is there anything that would prevent you from making informed input to the source protection committee?
Make a list of anything (e.g., information gaps, etc.) that would get in the way of you making the best recommendations possible:

Unit 3 – Progress Report on the Source Protection Plans

Activity 9 – Group Dialogue – Title: Clarifying Our Vision

The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Vision for Drinking Water Source Protection

1) Is the vision for drinking water source protection in the planning region clear?

2) If not, how should it be clarified?

3) Is the vision complete?

4) If not, how should it be expanded?

More Help

Do you want more information? Do you want to learn more? Your facilitator is prepared to discuss any topic or question with the goal of helping you move to the next module. Alternatively, write down your thoughts on our ‘Parking Lot’ to be answered at a later date.

SECTION TWO – Priming the Pump – Notes, Definitions, Fact sheets

Handouts, Additional Readings, Field Learning Assignments, Findings:

Reading, Listening and Viewing Resources

Review previous section notes

SECTION THREE

Field Learning Assignment

Use the space provided below to provide your findings from your field learning task to review guidance from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and make a list of some of the strategic actions which could be taken under local, science-based source protection plans.

Evaluation of Learning

Click on the Quiz tab at the top of the page to take a 15-question pop quiz to evaluate your learning so far. Or, take the 40-question exam to evaluate your knowledge by clicking on the ‘Exam‘ tab at the top of the page.

Information here is provisional, subject to change, and posted for local information and education purposes. For current information visit Ontario.ca and sourcewaterinfo.on.ca. We would like to acknowledge the support of the Government of Ontario. Such support does not indicate endorsement of the contents of this material.

Quiz 2 – Question 1 – Drinking Water Source Protection – Active Learning Program

In our region, which kind of vulnerable area is the one where there are significant threats to drinking water sources?

A) Intake protection zone

B) Highly vulnerable aquifer

C) Wellhead protection area

D) Significant groundwater recharge area

E) None of the above

C – Wellhead protection area

Preview only

Video – Protect drinking water sources with simple actions at work and home