Source Water Protection

Watersheds

The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region is separated into two source protection areas. Each source protection area is roughly equivalent to the watershed jurisdiction lines of the conservation authorities, which have special responsibilities as source protection authorities under the Clean Water Act, 2006.

To protect water quality and use water wisely, we must understand our ecological neighbourhood, i.e. our watershed. Essentially, a watershed is the land that is drained by one river or stream and its tributaries. The rain or snow caught by a watershed drains and/or seeps into marshes, streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater. As a drop of water flows across fields, forests and towns and as it joins others in the river, nature, including humans, affects it in many interconnected ways. Each watershed is unique with different features and concerns; they come in all shapes and sizes, and several smaller watersheds may combine to form a larger watershed. Other terms commonly used to refer to watersheds include catchment area and drainage basin.