New drinking water protection zone signs installed – Residents will notice new “Drinking Water Protection Zone” signs in Mattawa.

These two signs are part of the North Bay-Mattawa Drinking Water Source Protection program
to protect municipal drinking water sources and raise awareness that certain activities in
specific areas may impact a municipal water supply.
“We need to ensure that the wells that provide Mattawa with our municipal drinking water are
protected. It’s important for the health of our community. These signs let residents, visitors
and contractors coming into town know where the vulnerable areas are so that in the event of
a spill in this area, we can act quickly to protect our drinking water,” said Dan Finnigan,
Environmental Services Manager for the Town of Mattawa.
Two bilingual signs have been posted in Mattawa on Bissett Street and Brydges Street to mark
the entrance to the vulnerable areas.
In total, 15 signs have been installed throughout the region on roads in Callander, North Bay,
South River and Machar to mark the Drinking Water Protection Zones in those municipalities.
“The vulnerability of each municipal drinking water source varies as does the activities which
could put them at risk of contamination. What’s most important is for the public to be sensitive
to the fact that some activities in these areas can have an impact,” said Jeff Celentano, Chair
of the North Bay-Mattawa Source Protection Committee which developed the Source
Protection Plan for this region.
If a spill occurs within a vulnerable area, the public should call the Ministry of Environment and
Climate Change’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060 and indicate that the spill is within a
vulnerable area.
Installation of the Drinking Water Protection Zone signs is one of the initiatives in the North
Bay-Mattawa Source Protection Plan to help reduce the threat of contamination of municipal
drinking water supplies. A full copy of the plan, and maps of the vulnerable areas, can be
found at www.actforcleanwater.ca. Property owners can check to see if their homes fall within
a vulnerable area.

Drinking Water Source Protection Program is overseen by a multistakeholder
Source Protection Committee, administered by North Bay-Mattawa Conservation
Authority and funded by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) provides drinking water source protection,
watershed management, septic approval and stewardship programs throughout the region. Its mission
is to balance human needs with the needs of the natural environmental through intergrated watershed
management. www.nbmca.ca.
For more information:
Dan Finnigan (PCT)
Environmental Services Department
Town of Mattawa
Tel.: 705 744-5611 ext. 207
Cell: 705 498-2396
dan.finnigan@mattawa.ca
Sue Buckle
Supervisor, Communications and Outreach
North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority
Tel: 705 474-5420 ext. 2010
Cell: 705 497-4999
sue.buckle@nbmca.on.ca