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| Reports Provide Advice on Ways to Protect Ontario's Drinking Water Conservation Ontario is pleased with the results of two significant reports released recently that outline how On- tario will protect its sources of drinking water. The Ontario Minister of the Environment, Leona Dom- browsky, released the final reports of two source protection committees responsible for providing advice to the govern- ment on how to ensure there is enough safe clean water for all users in the province. "Conservation Ontario was pleased to participate as mem- bers on both committees," said Peter Krause, Chair. "Conservation Authorities have been managing watersheds in Ontario for over 50 years," he said. "As a result we were able to provide considerable scientific expertise about man- aging water in Ontario." The reports released were from the Source Protection Im- plementation Committee and the Technical Experts Com- mittee, both established a year ago by the government and included participants both from the private and public sec- tors involved in water use and protection. The committees' final recommendations provide advice on how to plan and implement source water protection, ways to finance this important work and a process to assess the current and future threats to water resources in Ontario. The advice from these two reports will be used by the Pro- vincial government to finalize source water protection leg- islation expected to be introduced in 2005. "We are proud to have had this opportunity to make such a significant contribution," said Mr. Krause, as a member of the Source Protection Implementation Committee. "We were pleased to work with other participants from the agri- cultural, municipal, environmental and private sector in de- veloping these recommendations to the government." Source protection is all about managing the influences on our water sources in order to ensure that there is a suffi- cient supply of safe, clean water for everyone now and in the future. The water we use comes from surface and underground sources such as lakes, rivers, streams and underground ag- uifers. The way water flows-over and under our landscapes is intertwined. Everything 1s connected to everything else. The amount of water available and its quality is always af- fected by other influences such as climate, natural systems and human activities. Source protection is a cost efficient way to manage the impact of these activities before prob- lems develop. Ontario's 36 Conservation Authorities deliver a number of environmental programs on a watershed basis throughout Ontario. They do this in partnership with municipalities, landowners and other agencies. Conservation Authorities will be responsible for coordinating source protection plans in their watersheds. The final Water Taking and Transfer Regulation is avail- able on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry. The committees' reports are posted for a 60-day public com- ment period on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry at http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/env_reg/ebr/english/ index.htm. Propagation - Cont'd from page 7 "That's where the wings were attached" I said "As she flew down from heaven as a baby to us". "Oh Grandpa" she said "Buffy didn't fly down from heaven she came out of her mummy's tummy."