Toronto – Ontario has proposed a two-year moratorium on new or expanded water takings from ground water by bottling companies, as well as stricter rules for renewals of existing permits.
It will apply to every water bottling facility that takes ground water and is required to have a permit under the Ontario Water Resources Act, the provincial government said in a news release.
“Proposed rules would reduce the duration of permit renewal applications from 10 years to a maximum of five years, as well as require increased public transparency, new operating guidelines, mandatory reductions on water taking during drought and further scientific studies,” the release said.
The provincial government is also closely examining how pricing and other tools could be used to help manage and protect the province’s water resources and will provide an update later this fall.
While the proposed moratorium is in place, Ontario also plans to undertake research to improve understanding of ground water in Ontario, review existing rules for adequate protection of ground water in the future and receive public input and feedback on Ontario’s current ground water permitting process and ground water management.
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