1 | P a g e Summary Planning for drought in Ontario has become of increasing concern due to the recurrence of droughts, increased development pressure, and anticipated impacts from climate change. Previous work by Quinte Conservation has identified the region to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Some of this vulnerability can be attributed to the high percentage of Quinte Region residents (50 percent of the population) that rely on private wells for water supply. These wells are supplied by a shallow fractured bedrock aquifer with low storage capacity requiring regular replenishment from precipitation to maintain adequate levels of supply. In 2016, a widespread historic drought was experienced in the Quinte Conservation watershed and across Eastern Ontario. During this event, groundwater levels and wells experienced historically low levels with many residents’ wells running dry. Farmers struggled to find alternative supplies to sustain crops and livestock, rural fire protection sources dried up, and low river levels resulted in damaged fish habitat. Municipalities that rely 100 percent on private wells had difficulty obtaining alternative sources of water for their residents. Learning from the 2016 experience, Quinte Conservation recognized the need to develop a drought management plan that would help local municipalities mitigate and adapt to drought. With the support of municipalities within its watershed, Quinte Conservation obtained funding through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). This funding has been used to improve monitoring to deal with drought, assess the potential impacts of climate change, and prepare the following as a drought management plan. This plan provides an overview of the background information about the Quinte watershed and past impacts from drought. A drought warning plan that follows the protocol of the Ontario Low Water Response Plan is provided, along with amendments, the roles of municipalities and all agencies involved. The recommended actions for each level of drought are summarized with the most important actions being added for normal water conditions. These are the actions that need to be taken to adapt to a changing climate and prepare for drought. For residents on private wells the intent is to lessen the potential impact by identifying sources of backup water supply, storage capacity, water conservation, and water recycling. Actions are also recommended for municipalities to reduce drought impact through their development approval process in accordance with the current Ontario Provincial Policy Statement, under the Planning Act, 2020. This policy indicates that the approval of new developments should be based on sustainability in terms of climate change impacts, and should promote both water conservation and water use efficiency. 2 | P a g e Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................5 2.0 Quinte Region Water Resources & Drought ...................................................................................7 2.1 Settlement Areas ......................................................................................................................7 2.2 Climate Conditions....................................................................................................................9 2.3 Water Resources ......................................................................................................................9 2.3.1 Groundwater ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.2 Surface Water .................................................................................................................. 12 2.4 Drought .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.4.1 Impacts of Drought........................................................................................................... 14 2.5 Climate Change ....................................................................................................................... 16 3.0 Water Use, Development & Drought Prone Areas ....................................................................... 17 3.1 Settlement Patterns ................................................................................................................ 17 3.2 Population & Growth .............................................................................................................. 18 3.3 Water Use .............................................................................................................................. 18 3.4 Ecological Water Use .............................................................................................................. 22 3.4.1 Watershed Model ............................................................................................................ 23 3.5 Drought Sensitive Regions....................................................................................................... 24 3.6 Dealing with Drought in the Quinte Region .............................................................................. 28 3.6.1 Water Conservation ............................................................................................................. 28 3.6.2 Water Storage/Cisterns ........................................................................................................ 29 3.6.3 Grey Water Recycling Systems ............................................................................................. 30 3.6.4 New Development-Hydrogeological Studies ......................................................................... 31 3.6.5 Large Water Takings ............................................................................................................. 33 3.7 Priority of Water Use .............................................................................................................. 35 4. 0 Drought Plan ............................................................................................................................. 36 4.1 Roles ...................................................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Drought Warning Plan ............................................................................................................ 40 4.2.1 Low Water Thresholds ...................................................................................................... 41 4.2.2 Monitoring for Drought .................................................................................................... 42 4.3 Drought Action Plan ................................................................................................................ 42 4.3.1 Normal Conditions Action Plan ......................................................................................... 44 3 | P a g e 4.3.2 Level 1 Drought Action Plan .............................................................................................. 46 4.3.3 Level 2 Drought Action Plan .............................................................................................. 47 4.3.4 Level 3 Drought Action Plan .............................................................................................. 48 4.3.5 Post Drought Actions ........................................................................................................ 50 4.4 Water Use Conflicts ................................................................................................................ 51 5.0 Drought Plan Consultation ......................................................................................................... 53 5.1 Public Consultation ................................................................................................................. 53 5.1.1 Project Video ................................................................................................................... 53 5.1.2 Advertising for Public Consultation ................................................................................... 54 5.1.3 Drought Project Survey Questionnaire .............................................................................. 56 5.2 Municipal & First Nation Consultation ..................................................................................... 57 Tables & Figures Table 1: Mean Monthly Flows at Select Stream Gauging Stations (2020) 23 Table 2: Drought Impact Risk Matrix 25 Table 3: Low Water Level Triggers, Tools and Actions 41 Figure 1: Quinte Region Primary Watersheds 8 Figure 2: Climagraph for the Quinte Region (1981-2010 Climate Normal) 9 Figure 3: Quinte Region Hydrologic Cycle 10 Figure 4: Limestone Bedrock near Napanee 11 Figure 5: Hydrograph of the Moira River Flow at Foxboro 1915-2018 12 Figure 6: Quinte Region Low Water Conditions (2001 to 2019) 13 Figure 7: Groundwater Hydrograph – Shallow Fractured Bedrock Aquifer 14 Figure 8: Crop Insurance Claims 2016-2018 (Agricorp) 15 Figure 9: Bulk Water Sales (Town of Picton Municipal Bulk Filling Station) 15 Figure 10: Belleville Average Annual Temperatures 1920 – 2100 16 Figure 11: Permit to Take Water Locations (2018) 19 Figure 12: Water Use by Source in the Quinte Region (2019) 20 Figure 13: Drought Risk for Quinte Region Municipalities 27 Figure 14: What