The simple answer is because it's the most cost-effective and reliable way to protect our drinking water for generations to come. It can cost 40 times more to treat contaminated groundwater than to protect it from getting contaminated in the first place.

The CTC region is equipped with some of the world’s most advanced water treatment facilities to safeguard against harmful contaminants that can enter our water sources. However, the best method of safeguarding our drinking water is to prevent source water from becoming contaminated in the first place. Protecting our Source Water is important because:

• As advanced as they are our water testing and treatment procedures are not perfect.

• Not all forms of contamination can be removed or treated (i.e. many chemical compounds).

• Many people in Ontario, especially in rural areas, are not connected to municipal water. These people supply their own drinking water from a private well or surface water intake. For these people, protecting source water from contamination may be the only barrier they have against contaminated drinking water.

• It is often far more expensive to treat contaminated source water than it is to protect it from contamination.

• In Ontario we have an abundance of good quality water. We need to use this water wisely to ensure that we have enough clean water for many generations.