Long Point Region Source Protection Area

The Long Point Region watershed takes in the area drained by 14 major waterways that empty into Lake Erie. Among them are Big Otter Creek, Big Creek, Lynn River-Black Creek, Nanticoke Creek and Sandusk Creek.

These creeks drain an area of 2,780 square kilometres in parts of Elgin, Norfolk, Oxford, Brant and Haldimand counties.

Agriculture is the main land use in the watershed. Major communities include Port Burwell in Elgin County; Norwich and Tillsonburg in Oxford County; Delhi, Waterford, Simcoe and Port Dover in Norfolk County; and Jarvis and Hagersville in Haldimand County.

The total population is about 114,000 people. Nearly two-thirds of those people use municipal water supply for their drinking water and other water needs. Roughly 75 per cent use groundwater of the more than 61,000 residents using the municipal water supply, the rest use water supplied by Lake Erie. The remaining residents of the watershed use private water sources for their drinking water supply.

Public Consultation: Draft Long Point Region Source Protection Plan 

The Lake Erie Source Protection Region is inviting public feedback on proposed amendments to the Long Point Region Source Protection Plan, developed under Ontario’s Clean Water Act, 2006. These updates reflect new technical studies and revised policies to meet current provincial requirements.

Documents available for review:

Self-Guided PowerPoint Presentation

Explanatory Document – outlines the rationale behind the policies in the Plan.

Assessment Report - describes the watershed, identifies vulnerable areas and threats to drinking water.

• Chapter 1-3: Introduction, Watershed Characterization, Water Quality Risk Assessment Methodology 
• Chapter 4: Oxford County
• Chapter 5: Norfolk County
• Chapter 6: Haldimand County
• Chapter 7: Elgin County (Municipality of Bayham)
• Chapter 8 – 10: Water Budget Framework, Tier 2 Water Budget, Tier 3 Water Budget and Risk Assessment
• Chapter 11 -15: Climate Change Research, Great Lakes Agreements, Conclusions, References

Draft Source Protection Plan - presented in two volumes: 

• Volume I: Background and Plan objectives.
• Volume II: Policies organized in general plan-wide and municipal chapters (Oxford, Norfolk, Haldimand, and Bayham).

Starting November 10, 2025, the draft amended Plan will also be available in person at:

Grand River Conservation Authority ꟷ 400 Clyde Road, Cambridge
Oxford County ꟷ 21 Reeve Street, P.O. Box 1614, Woodstock
Norfolk County Planning Department ꟷ 12 Gilbertson Drive, Simcoe
Haldimand County ꟷ 53 Thorburn Street South, Cayuga
Municipality of Bayham ꟷ 56169 Heritage Line, PO Box 160, Straffordville

Submit comments by Friday, December 19, 2025.

Email: comments@sourcewater.ca
Mail: Stacey Bruce, Source Protection Program Coordinator
Lake Erie Source Protection Region
c/o Grand River Conservation Authority
400 Clyde Road, P.O. Box 729
Cambridge, ON N1R 5W6

Please note: Some documents may not be fully accessible. If you require an alternate format, contact us at comments@sourcewater.ca.

Notice of Collection
Pursuant to section 29(2) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSO 1990, any personal information provided during public consultation is collected under the legal authority of the Clean Water Act, 2006. Personal information will not be publicly shared; however, comments provided will become part of a public record. Questions about this collection of personal information should be directed to the Source Protection Program Coordinator, Grand River Conservation Authority, 400 Clyde Road, P.O. Box 729, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5W6. (519-621-2761).

Explore the Long Point Region Source Protection Area

• An update of the Long Point Region Source Protection Plan came into effect May 22, 2020
• Read the Assessment Report
• Read background reports
• Use the Province's mapping tool to search a specific location and see if it is in a vulnerable area