Know Your Signs campaign bringing awareness to Source Water Protection

NOVEMBER 22, 2021 – Signs, we see them everywhere. We see them while we're driving and while we're walking. We see them in towns, cities, villages, and hamlets and along roadways across our region and our province. But how much do we pay attention to them?

Sure, we all know what the different speed signs mean, but have you ever seen a Drinking Water Source Protection sign and wondered what it meant? Maybe you've driven by them and not even noticed them.

“Drinking Water Source Protection couldn't be more important,” explained Jenna Stephens, Risk Management Official and Source Protection Technician with Kawartha Conservation. “When you see one of these signs when travelling across our region or across Ontario, it is definitely worth paying attention to.

“Source Water Protection is about keeping Ontarians and their families safe, and when it comes to helping our families, our friends, our neighbours, and our communities, we all have a role to play,” Stephens added. “Drinking Water Source Protection is everyone's responsibility.”

Municipal drinking water is safe and reliable as it goes through a rigorous treatment process with numerous measures in place to ensure its safety. But what about the water that comes into the treatment plant? This “source” of municipal water needs to be protected as well. That’s what the Source Water Protection Program is all about. It’s about safeguarding the water that comes into those treatment plants. That’s the water we get from underground supplies called aquifers, and surface water in lakes and rivers.

To help raise awareness of the importance of Source Water Protection, Kawartha Conservation is launching a video campaign featuring a number of familiar faces.

“This campaign is about connecting with new audiences and reaching different segments of the population that the conservation authority might not otherwise reach,” said Kawartha Conservation Board Chair, and mayor of Kawartha Lakes, Andy Letham. “The more voices we can add to this important message the better. We want to raise awareness and draw attention to the signs so that when people see them in their travels, they know they are in a Source Protection zone, and that is important for all of us.”

The campaign includes familiar faces including Letham, as well as additional members of municipal, provincial, and federal government, First Nations, local radio, and the business community.

“We are so appreciative of the support we have received for this campaign and look forward to sharing the videos,” said Stephens. “Source Water is definitely one of those things that people might not notice or even realize until it impacts them personally. We want to make it more visible and front and centre for people and we’re excited to have a number of local and regional faces help share that message with us.”

To learn more about the Drinking Water Source Protection campaign, visit www.kawarthaconservation.com/KnowYourSigns.