Drinking Water Protection Zone road signs are now up in the City of Timmins. These signs are installed in areas around the municipal river intake pipe where human activities could impact the drinking water source.
The signage is part of a public education awareness initiative, to alert residents that their actions in these zones can impact the municipal drinking water source – the Mattagami River.
Signs installed on Riverside Drive and Feldman Road, mark locations where roads enter into Intake Protection Zone 1 — the area considered most vulnerable to contamination, as it is the closest to the river intake at the Timmins Water Filtration Plant. Norman Street, Shirley Street, Dalton Road, Wallingford Road, Highway 101 West, Riverside Drive, Park Street and Government Road North mark locations where roads enter into Intake Protection Zone 2, a secondary protective zone that extends upstream of Intake Protection Zone 1.
The Drinking Water Protection Zones were determined through scientific and technical studies. The result is a thorough understanding of the drinking water source including mapping of the zones. Next, a local plan to protect our drinking water source was developed.
The Mattagami Region Source Protection Plan sets out special measures that need to be in place in these zones to ensure the long-term protection of the drinking water source.
If a spill occurs within a drinking water protection zone, the public should call the Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060 and indicate that the spill is in a vulnerable area (Intake Protection Zone 1 or Intake Protection Zone 2).
To find out more information about what these signs mean, please view our Fact Sheet English or French (pdf)