Moraine Drain

MORAINE DRAIN MUNICIPAL The Oak Ridges Moraine is a source of drinking water for Ltrs 71560571 NATER SUPPLY more than 250.000 COMMUNAL Ontarians. The Moraine is also home to more than 70 203.432.901 Litres Par Day INDUSTRÍAL, COMMÉRCIAL, OTHER threatened and endangered species. Every day, Ontario allows millions of litres of GOLF COURSES 115,694,115 Litres Per Daw surface and ground water to be pumped from the Moraine to water golf courses, sort sand and gravel, keep water bottling companies in business and, during the winter, to make snow. But the Ontario SNOWMAKING 15,056,353 Litres Per Day AGGREGATE WASHING 47.264,058 Litres Per Day BOTTLED WATER 640,000 Litres Per Day LARGE &HIGHLY CONSUMPTIVE TAKERS Seventy five per cent of the permits Ontario issues on the Oak Ridges Moraine are for ground water and 25 per cent are for surface and ground water combined. Due to the lack of public information on actual water takings, we've used the maximum values submitted by the permit holders (In most cases, permit holders do not take the maximum amount they are allowed). government's failure to monitor and report exactly how much is pumped WHO'S DRAINING THE MORAINE? threatens your access and right to clean and safe drinking water. "Maximum amount af water that could be pumped from the Moraine by large and highly consumptive permt holders for industrial, commercial and other activities. WHO NEEDS A PERMIT? : THE INVESTIGATION Earthroots and Ecojustice wanted to discover who was pumping water from the Moraine and how much • they were taking. To start, we requested some information from the * government. A Permit to Take Water is required for most activities that pump 983MB more than 50,000 litres per day. Standard FOI processing 30days That's enough water to keep your garden hose flowing We filed a • Freedom of Information The amount of data we received in a format that made it difficult to analyze. Estimated processing time for our FOI 300days request Actual $5,348 full blast for processing 450days 24 hours. Cost of FOI ..... ..... The Oak Ridges Moraine covers approximately 190,000 hectares of land and stretches 160 kilometres from Rice Lake in the east to the Niagara Escarpment in the west. HOW MANY PERMITS ARE THERE? • The Oak Ridges Moraine had 72 permits, with • 177 different sources where water is taken, in • December 2011. If every permit holder drained • 50,000 litres per day from each source that FOR YOUR INFORMATION would equal 8 85 million litres. 107 years That's how long it could take • the average Ontarian to use the MINIMUM amount of water that's able to be pumped from the Moraine each day. LAKE ONTARIO OUR VISÍON The Oak Ridges Moraine is a natural water filtration system. It sustains Ontario communities by providing safe and clean drinking water. We believe that Ontarians have a right to clean water and that it is the role of the government to protect that resource. *At two-thirds of the 177 water sources, perm haiders are allowed to take more than 10 times the 50,0 res per day HOW CAN YOU PROTECT THE MORAINE? LEARN SHARE CONSERVE tA EARTHROOTS ecojustice Visit ecojustice.ca/moraine-drain to learn how we're helping you protect the Oak Ridges Moraine. Discover how much water you use or discover your local watershed. Help us spread the message by sharing this info with others. Using less is a great way to protect your water.