Drinking Water Threats

Unsafe handling or storage of products such as paint, fuel, used motor oil and solvents - a small quantity can contaminate large amounts of water. This category includes hydrocarbon pipelines.

Improper use or storage of products like paint removers, adhesives, stains, oils, and metal cleaner.

Storage and land application of pesticides, commercial fertilizers, and other nutrients (e.g. manure); livestock pasturing, grazing and confinement.

Excessive salt use on roads, parking lots, and other surfaces and stored salt that may be exposed to precipitation or runoff. 

Run-off from melting piles of plowed snow (e.g. in parking lots). Plowed snow is “dirty”, often contaminated by salt, oil, grease, heavy metals and other pollutants.

Taking water without replacing it and activities that prevent rain or snow from entering the ground can lead to a water shortage. This is not a Threat in the Otonabee-Peterborough Source Protection Area.

There is a local threat in the Otonabee-Peterborough Source Protection Area. It is landscaping (e.g. mown grass) that promotes waterfowl gathering next to watercourses.