Guide to Permit to Take Water application

Disclaimer

The requirements for this and other ministry programs are continually updated, as environmental standards are modified to reflect changing needs of public health and environmental protection. As a result, the ministry will be updating this guidance in the future to reflect the most current requirements.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this guide, it should not be construed as legal advice. If there is any discrepancy between this summary and the Acts or regulations, the provisions of the Acts and regulations prevail.

If you have any questions about completing the online application, contact us.

Application type

The requirements of your Permit to Take Water (PTTW) application is dependent on your application type.

Below is a description of each application type:

• New Permit: New water taking activities.
• Renewal of Permit: Applications for the same or lesser amount, same purpose, and same location from the same source. If you have not previously been issued an online permit, please use the Paper to Electronic application type.
• Administrative Changes: Legal name changes, address changes, or other changes to applicant information. If you have not previously been issued an online permit, please use the Paper to Electronic application type.
• Amendments to Permit: Changes to the amount, purpose, location and or source of water taking in an existing permit.
• Paper to Electronic Transition: Use this option to replace your existing paper permit with an electronic permit. Please note that water taking reporting will shift to the Regulatory Self-Reporting System and the paper permit will be cancelled and replaced. There are no fees associated with this transition.
• Ownership Change: New owners of properties with an existing PTTW.
• Expired Permit — If your PTTW has expired within the past 12 months, contact us. Refer to Renewing your PTTW for further eligibility criteria. If your PTTW has been expired for more than 12 months, please apply for a New Permit.

The online process is designed to save entry time if more than one application type applies to you. For example:

• under the Paper to Electronic Transition application type, you can also make administrative changes and or renew your existing permit without having to exit the system and re-enter under a different application type
• under the Ownership Change application type, you can also apply to make changes to the conditions, expiry date and or volumes and rates of water taking on your existing permit without having to exit the system and re-enter under another application type

Once you select an application type, only the necessary information required for that application type will be presented for you to enter.

Depending on the application type, the online application automatically displays some or all the following sections:

• General information and instructions
• Applicant information
• Application details
• Sites
• Source Information
• Water takings (Table A)
• Regulatory requirements
• Water conservation measures
• Supporting documents
• Attestation
• Application summary

Below is more information about each section to help support you as you prepare your application.

Applicant information

This section of the online application identifies the business or individual that is applying for the PTTW. This section is auto populated based on the information provided during account creation. You will need to confirm this information is complete and accurate. If not, go back to the Profile tab in your ministry account and update your business or individual information from there. Once updated, re-enter your draft application to continue.

Application details

The questions you need to complete in this section depend on the application category that you are submitting.

Category

Proposals for water taking are categorized according to their potential risk to the environment; the greater the potential risk, the more evaluation and assessment required.

There are 3 categories of PTTW applications:

• Category 1 applications are considered low-risk and are unlikely to pose unacceptable impacts.
• Category 2 applications require a qualified person to undertake a scoped scientific evaluation to ensure the withdrawal of water does not result in unacceptable impacts or interference with other users. The evaluation should also demonstrate that the taking meets one of the category 2 criteria.
• Category 3 applications must submit a hydrogeological study and/or surface water study prepared by a qualified person for ministry review. The study will evaluate the potential for unacceptable impacts resulting from the water taking.

If your application is for more than one source, you must classify your application according to the highest category of the individual sources. For example, if your application includes a Category 1 source and a Category 2 source, your application will be classified as Category 2.

Existing (subject) permit

You must provide the existing permit number, issuance date, expiry date and attach your existing PTTW if it was not submitted online. If you are not attaching the existing PTTW, please provide an explanation.

If you are requesting Administrative Changes, you will be asked to indicate what type of administrative change you are applying for (such as legal name changes, address changes or other changes to applicant information) and describe the change.

Please ensure that you describe the information on the current PTTW that you would like to change and the new information that you are proposing.

If you are requesting a Paper to Electronic Transition, you will have the opportunity to identify if you are also requesting a renewal.

If you are requesting an Ownership Change, you will be asked to provide documentation of permission. If the new owner would like to take water under the previous permit while the ownership change application is processed, the new owner should also include permission from the previous owner to take water under their permit in this letter. If permission is not granted, the new owner will not be able to take water until a permit is issued in their name.

Pre-submission consultation

Pre-submission consultations help provide an applicant or their authorized representative, or representatives, with sufficient technical direction when applying for their PTTW where required.

If you have completed a pre-submission consultation meeting, please provide the results of these discussions, such as any email correspondence with the ministry, a summary of the meeting with the names of attendees, so that the ministry understands what discussions have taken place.

Please note that pre-submission consultation is not a forum to review permit classifications and is not a document review.

Project qualified person

For Category 2 and Category 3 applications, a qualified person is required to prepare technical studies. For more information on the requirements of the technical studies, refer to the Technical studies section of this guidance.

A qualified person is considered as follows:

• for groundwater studies, a licensed professional geoscientist or accepted professional engineer as set out in the Professional Geoscientists Act, 2000 of Ontario
• for surface water studies, a professional engineer with relevant training and experience or a person with a degree in environmental science with specialization in hydrology, aquatic ecology, limnology, biology, physical geography and or water resource management, as appropriate

If a qualified person is required to deal with technical matters, you must identify the qualified person in your application.

• To identify a qualified person in your application, return to the Manage permissions tab in your ministry account and select Assign Application. Please note that you must have already linked your business or individual account to the qualified person's representative account. Learn more about how to manage representatives in your ministry account.

Source protection

You will be asked to confirm whether you have looked at the source protection map to see if your water taking is affected by any source protection policies. You will also be asked to indicate if your proposed water takings are in a vulnerable area, such as a Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA-Q1).

You must take source protection into consideration as part of your PTTW application. In the  case where source protection policies are determined to apply to PTTWs, proponents must demonstrate that the proposed risk management measures — such as monitoring and or contingency plans — satisfy the policies. This will be assessed through a technical review by the ministry.

According to Ontario Regulation 287/07, under the Clean Water Act, any activity that takes water from an aquifer or a surface water body without returning the water taken to the same aquifer or surface water body; or an activity that reduces the recharge of an aquifer, is prescribed as a drinking water threat.

To determine if your activity is a drinking water threat, you must identify the following:

• if the activity is in one of the source protection areas
• if the activity is in a vulnerable area identified in an approved assessment report

Source Protection Areas (SPA) were created to protect drinking water and are an area of land and water governed by a Source Protection Authority, which can be an agency, person or body. A WHPA-Q1 represents the area where municipal pumping and other nearby permitted water takers influence the aquifer.

Source protection plan policies exist within defined ‘vulnerable’ areas of SPAs that limit activities that might affect the quality or quantity of the municipal supply. Certain policies apply where a proposed water taking is considered a significant drinking water threat (SDWT). One of the key policy approaches to address water takings that are considered SDWTs is to manage the water taking using the PTTW.

To find out if your proposed water taking is located in a vulnerable area or if any policies apply to the water taking activity, open the Source Protection Information Atlas and follow the link at the bottom of the tab “Result Details”.

Learn more about the source protection in Ontario.

Changes to permit

You must confirm that the water taking sources and location are remaining the same. You will then be asked to confirm if you are requesting changes to Table A and or changes to the conditions on your permit.

If you plan to make certain changes to your permit, you will need to apply for an amendment. Examples include: 

• increasing volume of taking
• changing water taking location
• changing permit conditions

Complaints and impacts

If you are aware of impacts or interference, or complaints of such, resulting from the taking, please describe these complaints and or impacts,and any mitigative actions taken, in your PTTW application.

PTTW holders are required to immediately notify the local district office of any complaints arising from the authorized water taking activity, including any action taken or proposed to be taken regarding the complaint. 

Technical study

You may have a condition in your current PTTW that requires you to submit a new technical study when you renew your PTTW. Please refer to the conditions below Table A on your current PTTW to determine if this applies to you.

Please note that the following conditions apply to Category 3 PTTW application:

1. you will be prompted to submit a technical study with your PTTW application
2. your PTTW application fee will be $3000, unless your application is for agriculture or aquaculture

Pumping test

Please note that pumping tests conducted at wells that take no more than 5 million litres of water per day for no more than 7 days within a 30-day period may be required to register in the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR).

For the purposes of a PTTW application, indicate whether the application is for a pumping test. A pump test is the taking of ground water from a well for the purpose of obtaining information about the aquifer from which the well takes its water.

If the application is for a pumping test, please prepare and submit a document signed by a qualified person that includes:

• Confirmation that the proposed taking will not result in unacceptable impacts. These impacts may include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • geotechnical impacts
  • impacts to other water uses or sources
  • mobilization of contaminant sources
  • impacts caused by discharge of water
• Confirmation that the activity will use an approved method to discharge any water taken
• Any suggested conditions to mitigate any possible impacts caused by this taking
• A list of references that the qualified person considered during the planning of this taking

You will also be asked to outline the details about the purpose of your pumping test and intended future use of the water taking, such as conducting a pumping test to determine if a well can support the irrigation of a golf course.

If your application is not for a pumping test, you will be asked to provide additional information on the water taking in a new sub-section.

Additional information

To facilitate the ministry review of the PTTW application, relevant details of the proposed water taking needs, including a breakdown of water use and rationale of the requested volume of water are  required during the application review process.

You must provide a description of the water taking including how, when and where all water is obtained, stored, transferred, used, and returned to the environment. If your application is subject to the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), this description will be used to create the proposal notice. We may change the wording as required, to meet the ERO posting requirements.

You must also describe in detail your water taking needs including how you determined your water taking rates, amounts and time periods. Provide all relevant information and calculations to demonstrate that the water takings requested are warranted.

Application fee

The application fee amount is based on the application type and category selected and will be automatically displayed in this section.

The differences in fees reflect the time that we need to complete reviews of different types of applications. Category 1 and Category 2 applications require relatively basic evaluations compared to Category 3 applications, which must undergo highly detailed technical reviews.

The application fees are:

• Category 1: $750
• Category 2: $750
• Category 3: $3,000

You don't have to pay an application fee, if you take water for:

• irrigation and frost protection for agriculture, including:
  • vegetable crops
  • fruit orchards
  • flowers
  • nurseries
  • tree and sod farms
  • tender fruit
• aquaculture (fish farming)

The agriculture exemption does not apply to:

• agribusiness
• food processing operations, including vegetable and fruit canning, processing and pickling

If you indicate that your application is for Agriculture or Aquaculture, your application will show no fee.

Additionally, the following PTTW applications are free of charge:

• administrative amendments, such as name or address change
• amendments made to existing PTTWs deemed necessary by the Director
• revocation of an existing PTTW

Sites

In this section, you are required to create a site associated with your application or select a site that was already created from the auto populated list. The site is the area where the water taking is occurring; a site may be comprised of one or more adjacent addresses and contain multiple sources.

Sites Selection provides information relevant to the location of your application, such as civic address, North American Industry Association Classification, site contact and whether the site is in a special policy area and or a SPA. You will be asked to provide information specific to your water taking source, or sources, separately in the Source Information section.

A company can also create a site that includes adjacent addresses or lots where the activity proposed in a PTTW application will be occurring. If this is applicable to your application, select the option of adding an adjacent address, or addresses, when creating a new site.

In some cases, a single PTTW proposal is requested for multiple addresses and or lots that may not be adjacent but are connected and combine multiple components of an activity, for example, system-wide operations. If you are adding more than one site to your application, please contact us.

Ensure the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code you have provided for your operation or project matches the NAICS code you have assigned to the site. Depending on the number and nature of operations, you may have to assign multiple NAICS codes to a single site or an operation.

Non-address information and legal description are not mandatory fields; however, they can be used as unique identifiers to help describe the site, for example, the entry location of a driveway. If your site is in an unsurveyed location, enter your information under the Non-Standard Location type. 

Special policy area

Indicate if your site falls inside a special policy area. Certain documents will be required to be uploaded in the Source Information section depending on what special policy area, if any, the site is located in.

• to find out if your site is within the Niagara Escarpment,contact the Niagara Escarpment Commission
• to find out if your site is an area that falls within the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Area, view Maps of the Oak Ridges Moraine

Source information

You are required to provide information about each source that you plan to take water from. Some PTTWs may have more than one source and more than one site.

The source may be one of the following source-types:

• lake
• pond
• watercourse
• well

For excavation and/or dewatering, please select pond if you are removing water from an excavated site without using a dewatering well. For the purposes of this application, an excavated site shall generally be considered as an isolated pond.

If your site is located within the Niagara Escarpment you will be asked to attach your Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Actpermit. If the site is subject to development control, and you have not obtained a development permit, your application will be returned.

If your site is located within the Oak Ridges Moraine, you will be asked to attach your Conservation Authority Clearance.

Source location

You will indicate the source location on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map. Please note that the GIS map is only for selecting the water taking source location. If you would like to submit a map with text, data or additional points, please use the Create a map for PTTW application or create your own custom map, for example, using ArcGIS or Google Maps.  You can attach it to your application in the Supporting Documents section.

Please ensure that the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and/or map location are as accurate as possible and match the coordinates in the original PTTW in the case of a renewal. Your application may be returned if the water taking source location is not correct.

If you are renewing a PTTW and the GIS coordinates on the original PTTW are inaccurate, provide the correct coordinates in your renewal application. If necessary, an explanation can be provided in supporting documents.

Indicate whether you are the owner of the site where water taking will occur. If you are taking water from a water source located on land you do not own, we require that you submit a letter from the landowner, authorizing you to take water from a source located on their property. A PTTW does not give permission to trespass or use equipment that you do not own.

Source-related questions

You will answer source-related questions based on the source that you had selected (lake, pond, watercourse, well). You will be required to indicate if you are aware of any complaints or impacts associated with takings from the source as well as the location of other wells nearby. If you select pond as a source, you will be required to answer questions about the source of pond water.

Water taking information

The Water Taking Information table defaults to one row for one water taking per source. If you are taking water for multiple purposes from one source, for example, a well for golf course irrigation and water supply to clubhouse, you can add additional rows to the table.

Provide a Descriptor Name for each water taking in the table. This is for you to identify your water takings under each source. For example, you could enter South Intake and North Intake.

Determine the Purpose Category, the Specific Purpose and the Activity from the drop-down for each water taking under each source. If your purpose for water taking is not covered by the categories, select Other and identify the purpose.

Provide the maximum rate per minute, maximum number of hours of taking a day, maximum volume per day, typical volume per day, maximum number of days of taking in a year, earliest month of taking and latest month of taking based on reasonable estimation. It is understood that you may not always take water at the maximum rate or for the maximum duration. It is also understood that your taking can be dependent upon several factors, including the weather. Therefore, wherever you are asked to indicate the maximum rate or duration of taking, you should make a reasonable estimate of what these values would be based on how much you need to take.

The PTTW program is not intended for water reservation. There must be reasonable prospect that the water will be used in the near future.  Where water taking demands increase in the future, you may need to apply for an amendment to your PTTW. It is important to know whether your water source is vulnerable to drought. If your water taking is susceptible to drought or low water conditions, you are required to identify contingency measures and provide details of how the contingency measures will be implemented in your application.

Water takings (Table A)

The Water Takings table (Table A) displays a summary of information you provided in the Source Information tab. If you need to make changes to the information, you can return to the Source Information tab.

The Calculated Total Maximum Daily Value is automatically calculated by adding together the volumes in the maximum rate per day column for each source. If the number does not reflect the maximum amount of water that you take in one day, please enter the correct number in the Actual Total Maximum Daily Volume field and then provide an explanation.

For example, you may have two wells that you are requesting to take a maximum daily volume of 300,000 litres per day for each well. In this case, the Calculated Total Maximum Daily Volume would be 600,000 litres per day. However, if you do not plan to take from both wells on the same day, then the Actual Total Maximum Daily Volume you are requesting would be 300,000 litres per day. In this example, you would enter 300,000 in the Actual Total Maximum Daily Volume (litres per day) textbox.

Regulatory requirements

You may be subject to regulatory requirements under the Environmental Registry of Ontario and    or requirements related to notification and consultation.

The issuing of a PTTW does not imply that other Federal, Provincial or Municipal approvals have been received or will be issued. It is your responsibility to obtain any other approvals, licenses or permissions that may be required.

Environmental Registry of Ontario requirements

The questions in this section help us determine whether your application is required to be posted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario for a 30-day public comment period. However, your application may not be posted if it meets one of the following criteria:

• water takings for less than one year
• water takings for irrigation of agricultural crops
• water takings for watering livestock or poultry
• water takings that have already been considered in a process of public participation that is equivalent to the process required under the Environmental Bill of Rights Act, such as water takings for activities subject to the Environmental Assessment Act
• emergency takings

For further information on the Environmental Bill of Rights and the Environmental Registry, please visit the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

Public notification and consultation

Indicate whether you have previously notified and or consulted with the public. This is an opportunity for you to share your public notification and consultation efforts with us to help us understand any issues that have been raised, and in some cases may eliminate the need for further public consultation where consultation is deemed sufficient.

Water conservation measure

You are encouraged to take all reasonable and practical measures to conserve water and to be up to date with the best management practices for water conservation for your sector. If your application is for a long-term water taking (more than one year), you will be required to answer additional questions about the best management practices you have implemented. Information provided should include details of water efficiency measures to be implemented, based on sector-specific best management practices.  If your application is for a short-term water taking (less than one year), you will not be required to answer these additional questions.

For information on published best practices, contact associations that represent your sector, such as the Ontario Water Works Association for the municipal sector or the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for Golf Courses. Fact Sheets and guides on best management practices for the agricultural sector are available through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

It is important to be prepared in the event of drought and to know whether your water source is vulnerable to drought.  It is recommended that you identify and provide details of contingency measures to be implemented in your application if your water taking is impacted due to low water conditions. 

This section may not be directly applicable to certain takings, such as pumping tests, instream uses, site dewatering and certain industrial processes. In these cases, consideration must be given to the fate of the water or system design requirements for water conservation purposes.

Supporting documents

You may need to prepare and submit supporting documentation.

Table 2 summarizes which documents are required as part of your submission based on the application category and a description of these requirements is provide after the table.

The Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA) provides the director with the discretion to require an application in any category to be accompanied by additional information deemed necessary (such as test results, studies, plans, reports, record of consultation).

Map

You must indicate the location of your water taking(s) on a detailed topographic map. This allows us to make informed decisions on your application based on local and regional water resources. You may provide a photocopy of the appropriate portion of the map that covers your area provided it is legible (see create a map).

If your water taking is located in southern Ontario, you should use the Make a Topographic Map application. This application is available from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The application has various tools so you can add your own annotations and print or export a map.

On your map, please outline the property from which you will take water. Also, ensure to mark and label:

• all existing and proposed water taking locations with names of sources

• all designated features within 500 metres of the water taking location to help us during the evaluation of the application (other wells, springs, watercourses, wetlands, water bodies, property lines, locations and names of property owners, nearest road intersections, dwellings, etc.)

Technical studies

A Category 2 application requires a qualified person to conduct a scientific evaluation of the proposed water taking. Category 3 applications require a qualified person to conduct a detailed technical study. For more information on the requirements of the qualified person, refer to the Project qualified person section of this guidance.

Scientific evaluation

The scientific evaluation undertaken by qualified persons for Category 2 water takings is focused on:

• confirming that the proposed water taking meets the criteria for category 2
• designing the water taking activities to prevent unacceptable adverse environmental impact or interference with other users
• the discharge of water from the taking will not result in significant impacts. This should note any related approvals (i.e., municipal sewer use approval, OWRA section 53 approvals) or proposed measures to minimize erosion, sedimentation, flooding, water quality impacts, or any other potential impacts associated with the water taking

Designing the water taking activities for category 2 involves:

• determining the exact location, rate, volume, timing and duration of taking
• selecting and designing proper intakes
• evaluating the need for storage facilities and their size
• identifying site-specific monitoring, mitigation and contingency requirements
• minimizing or mitigating any potential impacts including geotechnical effects, interference with other users, mobilization of contamination, and impacts to the environment
• Identifying provisions for water discharge, including any measures to minimize erosion or water quality impacts

To confirm the application category, you must certify that the proposed new taking meets one of the following category 2 criteria:

Surface water:

• takings from the Great Lakes or connecting channels at a rate less than the Great Lakes threshold
• takings from sources with previous assessments (i.e., further to a previous study and implementing previously established controls)
• takings less than 5% of 7Q20 low flow from River and Streams (3rd order or higher order)
• transitional PTTWs where the Director previously required upgrades and or modifications to water taking
• takings and returns where water is removed for a short time only and water is returned to a nearby point with no significant change to water quantity or quality (i.e. for cooling, hydrostatic testing, hydraulic lake dredging)
• lakes and ponds takings less than 1,000,000 litres per day twice per week or less from water bodies greater than 10ha in size that are not on-stream and not part of the headwaters of any watercourse. More frequent takings require supporting studies.

Groundwater:

• new groundwater taking that is a short-term, non-recurring taking less than 7 days (unless subject to registration in the EASR)
• new groundwater taking that is short-term, non-recuring takings less than 30 consecutive days and less than 400,000 litres per day (unless subject to registration in the EASR).

Detailed technical study

Technical guidance and a structured approach for the groundwater and surface water studies for Category 3 applications is provided in the technical guidance for hydrogeological and surface water studies, respectively. The detailed technical study should be prepared in accordance with these technical guidance documents.

If source protection policies are determined to apply to the taking, you must demonstrate within the technical study that the proposed risk management measures satisfy the policies.

The studies and reports will be evaluated and if approved, site-specific terms and conditions will be imposed to prevent unacceptable interference with other water users and to minimize environmental impacts.

Municipal support for water bottling applications

If you are a water bottling company, before you can apply to us for a PTTW to take water for a new or increased groundwater taking for bottled water, you must ask the host municipal council to provide a resolution either supporting or objecting to the proposed water taking.  The requirement applies to any company intending to apply for a PTTW for a new groundwater taking or to increase the amount they are authorized to take under an existing PTTW.  The requirement to have municipal support only applies to cumulative water takings within the local host municipality above 379,000 litres per day and does not apply to applications to renew an existing PTTW. The municipal support documentation, if required, can be uploaded under the “Other” field in the Supporting Documents section.

The local host municipality is the lower or single tier municipality where the proposed water taking is located. Municipalities would be required to provide a council resolution within 12 months from the date the company makes a request. A resolution provided by a municipality supporting a water taking would be valid for five years.

Attestation

In this section the applicant must attest to the accuracy and completeness of the information supplied in the application.

It is an offence under section 98 of the Ontario Water Resources Actto knowingly give false information to us in respect to matters under the Act and regulations. Penalties for this and other violations could result in fines up to $50,000 for the first conviction and up to $100,000 for each subsequent conviction where the offence is committed by an individual and $250,000 and $500,000 respectively where the offence is committed by a corporation. [Section 98 is a tier two offence, see section 109 of the OWRA]

The following persons can attest to the PTTW application:

• The person that is engaging in activities related to the PTTW application.
• An officer or director of a corporation who has authority to bind the corporation that is engaging in activities related to the PTTW application.
• An individual who is a partner in the partnership that is engaging in activities related to the PPTTW application.
• An individual authorized by the application to prepare the technical materials that are included in the application. This individual must have reviewed those technical materials and made all inquiries that are necessary to declare to the best of their knowledge, information and belief that the technical materials contained in the application are complete and accurate. This individual must have the relevant education and experience necessary to provide this certification.

Payment

You must pay for your PTTW application online as part of the application process.

Your online PTTW application will not be submitted to us until payment has been received.

Contact us

For more information about environmental permissions, contact the Client Services and Permissions Branch:

• Tel: 416-314-8001 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
• Toll-free: 1-800-461-6290 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
• enviropermissions@ontario.ca

Appendix A: Definitions

Agriculture or agricultural operation

An agricultural, aquacultural, horticultural or silvicultural operation that is carried on in the expectation of gain or reward.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of marine and freshwater organisms, including finfish, invertebrates and plants (including algae and including plants cultivated using finfish effluent water), under controlled conditions

Earliest Likely Calendar Date of Taking

The boundaries of a Great Lakes watershed include the upstream connecting channel and the downstream connecting channel of any of the Great Lakes. Names of connecting channels can be found in Table in section 13 of Ontario Regulation 387/04.

Latest Likely Calendar Date of Taking

This is the earliest day in the year on which you might start to take water. If you take water year-round, this date will likely be January 1. If you take seasonally for irrigation, this date might be June 1. It is understood that this date will vary from year to year, depending on climate and your own activities.

Great Lakes Watersheds

This is the area shown to be within the boundaries of that watershed in a data file entitled “Great Lakes — St. Lawrence Basin Watersheds — Ontario Water Resources Act”, dated March 15, 2010, as amended from time to time, that is maintained by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as part of its Land Information Ontario initiative and available on a website of the Government of Ontario.

Latest Likely Calendar Date of Taking

This is the last day in the year on which you might take water. If you take water year- round, this date will likely be December 31. If you take seasonally for irrigation, this date might be October 1. It is understood that this date will vary from year to year, depending on weather conditions and your own activities.

Maximum Number of Days of Taking Each Year

This refers to the number of days in a year during which you actually take water. It does not include the length of your potential period of water taking. For example, if you normally take water sometime between May 1 and September 30, but you only actually plan to take water for 25 days during this period, you should specify 25 days.

Maximum Number of Hours Per day

This refers to the number of hours in a day in which you actually take water. It does not indicate the length of your potential period of water taking. For example, if you normally take water sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., but you only actually plan to take water for four hours during this period, you should specify four hours in this instance.

Maximum Rate Per Minute

This is the maximum amount of water you might take per minute.

Maximum Volume Per Day

This is the maximum amount of water you might take in one given day based on maximum anticipated demand.

Typical Volume Per Day

In many cases, the maximum volume per day will exceed your normal rate of withdrawal. Please specify a more “typical” rate of withdrawal under normal operating conditions.