Drinking Water Source Protection

The Kettle Creek watershed has one Intake Protection Zone – the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Intake - and one Well Head Protection Area in Belmont. Both zones are located in the municipality of Central Elgin.

The Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System’s intake is located in Lake Erie, just east of where Kettle Creek empties into the Lake. This intake serves drinking water to 94,400 people including the majority of residents living in the Kettle Creek watershed and communities within the Catfish Creek and Long Point Region watersheds. 

The drinking water supply system for the Town of Belmont consists of two deep artesian wells, a pumphouse, underground reservoir and distribution system. This is the only groundwater-based municipal system in the Kettle Creek watershed.

The Ontario government passed the Clean Water Act, 2006 to protect the sources of municipal drinking water supplies throughout Ontario.

This will take place through the development of source water protection plans, which will:
• identify the sources of drinking water, including municipal wells, river and lake intakes;
• outline the threats to the quality and quantity of water in source areas, and 
• propose actions needed to reduce those threats and protect source water.

The development of source water protection plans for four watersheds - Grand River, Long Point Region, Catfish Creek and Kettle Creek - is being led by the Lake Erie Region Source Protection Committee.

To learn more about the Clean Water Act and drinking water source water protection, go to Lake Erie Source Protection Region's website.

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