Overview

The Best Practices for Source Water Protection Program helps Ontario communities develop local protection plans to protect their drinking water sources.

Through the program, eligible applicants can receive funding for projects that develop a local source water protection plan. These plans identify local water-related risks and outline actions to help protect drinking water sources.

Funding will go to support rural, northern and Indigenous communities that are not included in provincially approved source protection plans under the Clean Water Act, 2006.

The program helps create:

  • safer drinking water
  • stronger local planning
  • informed communities
  • long‑term protection of water sources 

Who can apply

You can apply if you are from a community that is not covered by Ontario's source protection planning framework, including:

  • municipalities
  • incorporated not-for-profit organizations
  • Indigenous communities and organizations

The following groups are not eligible for funding under the program:

  • provincial government ministries
  • federal government departments or agencies
  • unincorporated informal groups or clubs (non-legal entities)
  • for-profit businesses
  • individual private citizens
  • communities covered by provincially approved source protection plans

Eligible projects

To be eligible for consideration, projects must:

  • be focused geographically on a community in Ontario that is not covered by the province’s source protection planning framework, where a community is defined as:
    • a municipal community (town, village or hamlet)
    • a watershed community (subwatershed scale less than 200 km2)
    • a lake community (a lake, cottager or landowner association)
    • an Indigenous community
  • be able to provide an estimate of the total population served by the project within the project application
  • clearly identify the types, sizes and numbers of drinking water systems included in the project application
  • develop a local source water protection action plan that includes community characterization, vulnerable area mapping and risk assessment

Projects that are not eligible include:

  • for communities that are already included in a provincially approved source protection plan under the Clean Water Act, 2006
  • that are exclusively focused on individual sites or facilities
  • covering large geographic areas and spanning more than 1 community
  • involving new drinking water source exploration, siting or development for a community

Program guide

Read the Best Practices for Source Water Protection guide to learn how to manage risks and protect your drinking water source.

How to apply

We are now accepting applications for program funding to support rural, northern and Indigenous communities that are not covered by Ontario’s source protection planning framework.

To apply, you must:

The deadline to apply for the current round of funding is 5:00 p.m. ET on November 27, 2026.

If you have any questions about the program or application process, contact: sourceprotectionfunding@ontario.ca.