Water Act
The Water Act was proclaimed in February 2021 for implementation on June 16, 2021. Regulations have been developed to support its implementation which also will be effective on June 16, 2021.
Supporting Regulations
There are four sets of regulations that are needed initially to implement the Water Act, the Proposed Water Withdrawal Regulations, the Proposed Well Construction Regulations, Proposed Water Supply, the Wastewater Treatment Systems Regulations and the Sewage Disposal Systems Regulations. They were open for public consultation in 2019 and 2020. The Proposed Water Withdrawal Regulations and the Proposed Well Construction Regulations have been revised as a result of those consultations, as well as recommendations from the Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. The revised and original versions of each set of regulations are available on the web pages listed below:
- Proposed Water Withdrawal Regulations
- Proposed Well Construction Regulations
- Proposed Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Systems Regulations
- Sewage Disposal Systems Regulations
Can I provide comments on the final versions of the proposed regulations?
Changes will not be made to the revised versions of the proposed regulations at this time. This is to ensure that the Act and regulations are implemented as every change to a draft regulation requires another consultation period. However, you are welcome to submit comments on the revised versions. We will consider any comments received when future changes are considered for the regulations.
Where can I get more information on water resources on PEI?
You can visit the new website - On The Level
How was the Water Act created?
A white paper was released in 2015 followed by public consultations conducted by the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC). Visit A Water Act for PEI website for information from the 2015 consultations and the EAC 2016 Water Act Public Consultation Report.
Additional public consultations occurred during the spring of 2017 on draft legislation. From the consultations, government developed the Water Act that was passed in 2017.
As part of the consultation on the Water Withdrawal Regulations, four public meetings were held in the fall of 2019. The Water Withdrawal Regulations Consultation Report was prepared to summarize the information government received.
Companion documents and comments from the 2017 consultation process and the development of the Water Act are available below:
- Water Act - Policy Framework – Explains the policies and background that formulate the construction of the draft Act.
- Water Act Public Consultation Meetings Presentation – The government presentation from the public consultation meetings.
- Addressing the Recommendations from the EAC Water Act Public Consultations – Identification of the parts of the draft Act where recommendations from the 2016 Water Act Public Consultation Report have been addressed.
- Water Act - highlighted version – This document shows the changes that have been made as a result of public consultation.
- Inside the Water Act – A summary document that explains the components of the draft Act.
- Water Act Section Summary – A quick summary of the various sections of the Water Act.
- Water Act Presentation – A presentation regarding the Water Act.
- Comments from the 2017 consultation process.