You likely see Drinking Water Protection Zone road signs throughout the Quinte Region. The signs are posted across Ontario to raise awareness about protecting drinking water sources and public health.
The signs identify zones along frequently traveled roads where accidental pollution spills could travel quickly to a public drinking water source and contaminate it. During an accidental spill emergency the signs alert emergency responders of the need to protect the public drinking water source. They also help to create public awareness of the importance of protecting drinking water sources.
Drinking Water Protection Zone road signs are part of Ontario's Source Water Protection program under the Clean Water Act, which empowers communities to better protect their local water sources. About 800 of the new road signs are installed across the province.
These signs have been installed on Quinte's municipal roads and on provincial roads and highways. Look for the signs in these local municipalities: Belleville, Prince Edward County, Marmora and Lake, Centre Hastings, Madoc Township, Tweed, Deseronto and Greater Napanee and along the highways as you travel.
The road signs are called for in the Quinte Region Source Protection Plan. This Plan, developed under Ontario's Clean Water Act, directs local efforts to protect and keep the sources of municipal water clean and plentiful. One of the policies in the Plan calls for the new road signs. The first Drinking Water Protection Zone road sign in the province was installed on Lennox and Addington Road 2 in the Town of Greater Napanee in November 2015.