Monitoring and reporting

Reporting is required as part of permit holder obligations under Ontario Regulation 387/04. You must collect, record and keep records for the daily volumes of water taken. The volume of water taken daily must be reported to the ministry on or before March 31 each year, for each location from which water was taken in the previous calendar year. If no water was taken, then a “no taking” must be reported.

You can report this information on the Regulatory Self-Reporting System (RSRS) by signing into your Ontario.ca Login and accessing the “Manage permissions” section of your environmental permissions online services account. Learn more about reporting in RSRS.

If your Permit to Take Water (PTTW) was not issued through the online services for environmental permissions, you will continue to report your water takings in the Water Taking Reporting System (WTRS).

Updating information

Administrative and technical changes

If your PTTW application is under review, contact your reviewer if anything regarding the water taking proposal or applicant information changes. If you do not know who your reviewer is, contact us.

If you have an active PTTW issued by the ministry and require changes to your permitted water taking, please submit an Administrative Change or Amendment to Permit application within 30 days. Note that proposed amendments requiring technical review may be subject to a Category 3 application fee and require associated supporting technical information.

Ownership change

Section 34.1 of the Ontario Water Resources Act authorizes the issuing of PTTWs to a specific person or organization. If you are reporting any change of ownership of the property to which a PTTW applies, the person taking over the property must apply for an Ownership Change within 30 days of any such change and include the following information in addition to a complete application:

  • a signed letter from the previous PTTW holder, or the PTTW holder’s authorized representative, confirming that there is no objection to the change in ownership
  • proof of legal name of the applicant

Contact us if you have further questions about updating your PTTW.

Water taking reporting changes

You are able to update your submitted water takings through the RSRS, under Post Approval Submissions. Indicate the reason for updating your submitted water takings and provide the updated information.

Renewing your PTTW

PTTWs are issued with an expiry date. If you are issued a PTTW, please take note of when it expires. You should apply to renew your PTTW six months prior to the expiry date.

If your PTTW has been cancelled, revoked or expired within the last 12 months, you can apply to renew:

  • a cancelled or revoked permit up to the original expiry date of the prior PTTW if the renewed takings are the same as the previously approved takings
  • an expired PTTW to continue the previously approved water takings for up to 1 year while the application for a longer-term renewal is being considered

Renewals of cancelled or revoked and interim PTTWs must meet the following conditions:

  • the application must be for a taking that had been previously occurring under a PTTW that had been issued by the ministry
  • the proponent must submit the application within one year of the cancellation, expiry or revocation of the permit
  • the proposed taking of water must be from the same location and for the same amount or less as was approved under the previously issued permit to take water
  • the proposed taking of water must be for the same purpose as imposed under the previously issued PTTW

If approved, the interim PTTW would allow water taking for the same purpose and location and under the same conditions as the previous PTTW while the renewal application is being reviewed.