Rural Clean Water Program
The Rural Clean Water Program provides financial and technical assistance to support the voluntary implementation of environmental and agricultural Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) on private lands.
Program Partners
Projects Eligible for Assistance
Projects eligible for assistance include the following Beneficial Management Practices (BMP) categories:
| Eligible Item | Grant Rate | Grant Ceiling |
| Barnyard Runoff Control & Clean Water Diversion | 50% | $5,000 |
| Buffer Strip Planting | 75%-100%* | $5,000 |
| Chemical Storage | 50% | $2,000 |
| Deadstock Composting | 50% | $3,000 |
| Education & Training | 100%** | $500 |
| Erosion Control Structures | 50% | $5,000 |
| Fuel Storage (per tank) | 50% | $2,000 |
| Integrated Pest Management | 50% | $3,000 |
| Livestock Access Restriction | 75%-100%*** | $10,000 |
| Manure Storage & Handling Systems | 50% | $15,000 |
| Milkhouse Washwater Disposal | 50% | $5,000 |
| Nutrient Management Plan | 50%**** | $1,000 |
| Nutrient Management Strategy | 50%**** | $500 |
| Private Well Upgrade | 50% | $1,000 |
| Tree Planting | 50% | $5,000 |
| Well Abandonment | Offered through Region of Peel | |
* 100% grant rate will apply if combined with livestock access restriction
** Limited to once per year
*** 100% grant rate will apply if installed by landowner
**** Only available to farms not having to comply with current legislation
This list is not exclusive. If you have a project that is not on this list, you may still be eligible for financial and technical assistance.
An approved current Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is required to be eligible for funding assistance.
Steps to Action
- Identify your voluntary Beneficial Management Practice projects.
- Book a free site visit with Rural Clean Water Program staff.
- Receive an information package containing a Water Quality Improvement Plan.
- Complete and submit your Water Quality Improvement Plan to program staff for anonymous committee approval.
- Implement your project as outlined in the approved plan.
- Book a site visit with Rural Clean Water Program staff to confirm your project is completed as approved.
- Receive your grant.
The map below indicates the Rural Clean Water Program's approximate area eligibility for landowner participation.
Get Started
For more information and to arrange a site visit, please contact:
Nadine Abrams C.E.T.
Coordinator, Rural Clean Water Program
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Office: (416) 661-6600 ext. 5349
Fax: (416) 667-6277
Email: nabrams@trca.on.ca
www.trca.on.ca
Successful Grants
| Project Category | Category Description | Number of Projects Approved from 2000 to 2008 | Total Project Cost | Rural Clean Water Program Contribution Funding |
| Private Septic Systems | Ensure the safe and environmentally responsible treatment and disposal of domestic sewage. | 1 | $13,000 | $2,500 |
| Well Upgrades | Reduce the risk of contamination of well water by implementing proper construction and maintenance practices and safeguards for existing wells. | 1 | $2,672.50 | $1,000 |
| Well Decommissioning | Reduce the risk of injury associated with open and unmarked wells. Protect ground water from contamination. | 1 | $1,500 | $750 |
| Barnyard Runoff Control | Confine and reduce the amount of contaminated runoff from manure storages and barn yards to eliminate direct manure contamination of surface waters. | 1 | $30,000 | $5,000 |
| Reforestation | Retirement of marginal and/or fragile farmland to reduce soil erosion, enhance surface water sources and increase wildlife corridors. | 3 | $10,000 | $5,690 |
| Riparian Buffer Establishment | Reduce the amount of sediment which enters watercourses from fields and eroding stream banks through the re-establishment of adequate vegetated buffer strips; as well as to provide a buffer to overland runoff. | 2 | $6,770 | $4,000 |
| Clean Water Diversion | Reduce the amount of contaminated runoff from manure storages and barn yards by diverting clean water away from sources of contamination to a satisfactory outlet. | 1 | $1,000 | $500 |
| Livestock Access Restriction | Prevent livestock from defecating in watercourses, trampling stream banks, and directly polluting surface waters. | 1 | $7,600 | $1,500 |
| Manure Management | Eliminate direct manure contamination of surface waters through environmentally responsible manure storage, handling and incorporation practices. | 1 | $50,540 | $10,000 |
| Total | 12 | $122,8125.5 | $30,940 | |
Click here Peel Rural Water Quality Program or Rural Clean Water Programs in the Region of Durham.
