The signs are part of the North Bay-Mattawa Drinking Water Source Protection program to protect municipal drinking water sources and raise awareness that certain activities in specific areas may impact a municipal water supply.
“We need to ensure that the wells that provide Mattawa with our municipal drinking water are protected," said Dan Finnigan, Environmental Services Manager for the Town of Mattawa.
"It’s important for the health of our community. These signs let residents, visitors, and contractors coming into town know where the vulnerable areas are so that in the event of a spill in this area, we can act quickly to protect our drinking water,”
Two bilingual signs have been posted in Mattawa on Bissett Street and Brydges Street to mark the entrance to the vulnerable areas.
In total, 15 signs have been installed throughout the region on roads in Callander, North Bay, South River and Machar to mark the Drinking Water Protection Zones in those municipalities.
If a spill occurs within a vulnerable area, the public should call the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060 and indicate that the spill is within a vulnerable area.
A full copy of the plan, and maps of the vulnerable areas, can be found at www.actforcleanwater.ca.
You can check to see if your home falls within a vulnerable area.
