1. The Regional Municipality of York Intra-Basin Transfer
Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Water Resource Regional Body Meeting
June 21st, 2017
Pillar & Post Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

2. Outline York Region Intra-Basin Transfer W&WW Master Plan
   
   
Outline
York Region
Intra-Basin Transfer
W&WW Master Plan
Other Programs
Water Conservation
I&I Reduction
Energy Management
Water Reuse
One Water Action Plan

3. The Regional Municipality of York
Located in the Greater Toronto Area
Town of Georgina
Town of East Gwillimbury
Town of Whitchurch- Stouffville
City of Markham
Township of King
City of Vaughan
Town of
Richmond Hill
Town of Aurora
Town of Newmarket
Lake Huron
Watershed
Lake Ontario 9
Municipalities
CITY OF TORONTO
DURHAM REGION
LAKE SIMCOE
PEEL REGION
1776
Area of km²
Greenbelt Areas + Oak Ridges Moraine
York Region has grown rapidly since its creation in 1971 and is expected to continue to grow through provincially mandated growth.
With a population of 1.2M residents, The Regional Municipality of York is the third-largest municipality in Ontario and the sixth-largest in Canada.
Ranked as Canada’s fastest-growing large municipality, managing growth over the coming decades is of paramount importance.
York Region is forecast to reach 1.59 M residents by 2031
The Region stretches north from Toronto to Lake Simcoe and includes many hectares of protected Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine.
A large portion of the Region’s lands are located within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt, these lands are protected by the provinces Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001 and Greenbelt Act, 2005 and they have significant implications on development and water and wastewater infrastructure planning. Specifically, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan prohibits “partial servicing” of water or wastewater (except in very limited circumstances) and the Greenbelt Plan restricts the extension of lake-based water and wastewater servicing.
Within the Region there is 9 local municipalities or “lower tier”
The Region, under the governance of Regional Council which represents the nine local municipalities within it, provides a range of services to more than one million residents.
These services are often delivered in coordination with local municipalities.
The main role of York Region in the area of water and wastewater is to act like a wholesale service provider to local municipalities. These Regional responsibilities reside within the Environmental Services Department.
Communities in York Region are serviced by Lake Ontario based water, Lake Simcoe based water and/or groundwater.
In the Greater Toronto Area, York Region is unique in that it is the only regional municipality which lacks direct access to Lake Ontario.
As a result, the Region has entered into long-term agreements with the Region of Peel, Durham Region and the City of Toronto for various aspects of its water and wastewater service needs.
Wastewater servicing is multi jurisdictional based upon a two tier municipal governance structure.
Sewage from most communities in the Region is collected through a combination of local municipal sewers and Region trunk sewer systems. The collection system is extensive and varies in age, construction materials, complexity, capacity and condition.
- All of our sewage from our York Durham Sewage System is conveyed to Duffin Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility.
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4. York Region & Intra-Basin Transfer
2008
York Region apply for Intra-Basin Transfer
2009
Water & Wastewater Master Plan
2010
Prior Notice and Consultation Completed
2011
Submission to MOECC for a Long Term Water Conservation Strategy
2016
Water & Wastewater Master Plan Update and Submission to MOECC for the Water Conservation Strategy Update
York Region successfully undertook the prior notice and consultation process in 2010 under the Great Lakes Charter to support its intra-basin transfer proposal of 105 million litres per day
Following successful completion of the consultation process, Ministries of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) and Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) provided conditional approval for York Region’s intra-basin transfer until the Province developed regulations, which came into effect on January 1, 2015, to fulfill its commitments under the 2005 Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement
In March 2016, MOECC issued revised Permits To Take Water to the City of Toronto and Peel Region with Schedules that recognize York Region as a Related Transferor in accordance with the new regulatory framework for intra-basin transfer in Ontario
These updated permits effectively baseline and secure York Region’s intra-basin transfer volume at 105 MLD, which is anticipated to meet water supply demands for forecasted growth to the year 2041
To meet conditions set out in the Schedules, York Region staff will continue to update the Long Term Water Conservation Strategy every five years, monitor intra-basin transfer volumes and report on monthly volumes and calculated daily average to the MOECC Central Region Director and the MNRF Natural Resources Conservation Policy Branch Director for the preceding year no later than March 31 each year.
Current Flow (MLD)
Lake Ontario Flow through Aurora South Reservoir Meter
Yonge Street Aquifer Wells
YR successfully completed the Great Lakes Charter Prior Notice and Consultation (PNC) process in 2010

5. YR & Intra-Basin Transfer: Prior Notice and Consultation Results
Completed Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy in 2011
Updated Strategy in 2016
Completed 6 Annual Reports to-date
PNC Requirements:
Develop and update every 5 years: Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy
Annual Strategy reports
Set water use per capita targets
We run and lead water conservation incentive programs for businesses
Water-Use and Wastewater Quality Consultation
ICI Capacity Buyback
Once-Through Cooling Incentive Program
Water Smart Irrigation Professional Program
SIP/LEED Certification Programs
Provide updates to the MOECC regarding the LTWCS
Collect and analyze water consumption billing data from all nine local municipalities using the Water Consumption Database (WCD)
Track municipal and Regional water-loss activities to establish levels of non-revenue water and infrastructure leakage index (ILI)
Provide business support to other departments as it pertains to water consumption tracking and analysis

6. Water Conservation Strategy: Our Goal & Target
York Region’s Long Term Water Conservation Strategy (LTWCS) sets targets for residential water consumption per capita:
Current: 199 LCD
2051 Goal: 150 LCD
150 LCD contingent on:
Regional incentive programs
Existing provincial programs and legislation
Water reuse and provincial guidance and legislative changes.
Major Actions in reducing Intra-Basin Transfer
- Implementation of water conservation programs leading to lower water demand from intra-basin transfer.
- Completed 2016 W&WW Master Plan, which aims to minimize intra-basin transfer.

7. 2016 Water and wastewater master plan

8. 2016 Master Plan: Supporting Growth

9. 2016 Master Plan: Key Highlights of Lake Simcoe Servicing Strategy
Minimizing intra-basin transfer was one of the key factors selecting the Lake Simcoe Servicing Strategy
Lake Huron
Watershed
Lake Huron
Watershed
Water:
Continue use of existing wells in Yonge Street Aquifer
Continue servicing majority of growth with Lake Ontario water
Incremental Lake Simcoe supply to East Gwillimbury and Newmarket in 2041
Continuing our Water Conservation programming and efforts will assist in water demand keeping within our projected growth
WW:
Construction and expansion of a new Water Reclamation Centre
Continued use of Duffin Creek Plant and Peel Diversion
Lake Ontario
Watershed
Lake Ontario
Watershed

10. 2016 Master Plan: Intra-Basin Transfer Forecasts
Transfer from Lake Ontario
2031 Forecast
2010 Intra-Basin PCN
2016 Master Plan
Average
57.6
43.1
Maximum
105.3
85.0
The Master Plan identified that The Region is set up to be well within the 105 MLD transfer even with growth projections and especially with all our water conservation programming and with innovative solutions and investigations into water reuse
Flow (MLD)
Lake Ontario Flow through Aurora South Reservoir Meter
Yonge Street Aquifer Wells
*All units in MLD

11. Other Regional Sustainability Programs

12. Inflow & Infiltration Reduction
Water Reuse Project
Energy Conservation
Inflow and Infiltration Reduction
Energy Management
Annual Energy Report
Energy Audits
Energy Trending & Benchmarking
Monitoring & Targeting
Energy Dashboard
Effluent Heat Recovery
Energy Storage Study
Heating and Lighting Retrofits
Process Optimization
Water Reuse
Objective:
Groundwork for future reuse opportunities
Understand technical, regulatory and environmental implications of water reuse in ON.
Scope:
Non-food agricultural irrigation
Evaluate the effects of reclaimed water on:
Plant health
Soil properties
Water quality and quantity
York Region has adopted a “One Water” approach to providing water services.
What this means essentially is that here at York Region we recognize that water is a resource in all of it’s forms and we are examining water reuse opportunities as part of a holistic, integrated approach to water management.
The objective of the Water Reuse Research Demonstration Project is to start laying the ground work for reuse opportunities and to help better understand the technical, regulatory and environmental implications of water reuse.
Implementing water reuse would provide an alternative water resource for various non-potable water demands that could stress surface and groundwater supplies.
I know some of you are familiar with the Region’s planned Water Reclamation Centre in East Gwillimbury I am going to provide a high level back ground of this to put the timing and purpose of this project into context.
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13. One Water Action Plan

14. One Water – Bringing It All Together
One Water Vision
“Through partnerships and innovation, One Water makes the best possible use of water from every source to sustain healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy environment.”
The full value of One Water can be unlocked only through partnerships. For the Region, key partners include the entities with which it shares responsibility for water resources,
local municipalities develop their own official plans and secondary plans in alignment with the Region’s vision, policies and plans within the local context.
Conservation authorities operate at the level of the. York Region works with two conservation authorities because it straddles two watersheds: in the north, the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority and in the south, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
three neighbouring municipalities, Durham, Toronto and Peel are York’s key partners in water supply and wastewater treatment.
- co-own the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant which treats about 90% of the Region’s wastewater & Peel treats ~ 5 %
60 % of its water supply capacity from Toronto and 30 % from Peel
jointly investing infrastructure and sharing the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.
Indigenous peoples, including the Anishnaabek, many who remain in the area continue traditional water-related practices and activities. Indigenous peoples have called on governments to work with them to implement the Water Declaration of the Anishinaabek, Mushkegowuk, and Onkwehone, drawn up in 2008, to protect water resources.
- Regard Western water management approaches as limited and science and technology alone as being unable to address the challenges faced by communities in relation to water. From an Aborginal POV, altenative perspectives are required.
The infrastructure optimization plan identifies many additional potential partners, including water associations and advocacy groups, research institutions and foundations, municipalities with which York Region shares a watershed, cities like Philadelphia that are One Water pioneers, and private sector companies in the water sector offering relevant expertise and/or products.
A key action in this plan will be to identify which partners to focus on and how best to engage them both initially and as One Water evolves.

15. Thank You Rosa D’Amico, MCIP, RPP
Manager, System Sustainability Management
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Stephen Fung, P.Eng
Director, Infrastructure Asset Management
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