On January 12, 2023 The Newfoundland & Labrador Minister of Environment and Climate Change gave notice under section 39 of The Water Resources Act that The Notice of Protected Water Supply Area under Regulation 579/96 was repealed. 

The Notice of Protected Water Supply Area (Regulation 579/96) had designated the area generally known as the Flashett’s Brook Water Supply Area for the Community of Smith’s Harbour as a protected water supply area.

The protection of public water supplies is an important stage in the multi-barrier approach. Source water protection is defined as the efforts to protect drinking water sources. The protection of drinking water at the source can be successful in providing public health protection and reducing the treatment challenge for public water suppliers.

The Department of Environment and Conservation encourages communities to have their water supply protected, however the responsibility for applying to have a water supply protected rests with the municipal authority (town or local service district).

The majority of people in the province use surface water to meet their water needs. Surface water supplies are more common in the province due to the reliability of supply and the easy access to a large number of lakes, ponds and rivers. Taking into account that the delivery of drinking water consists of multiple stages, the province has adopted a multi-barrier approach to ensure that its public water systems deliver clean and safe water. The main components of the multi-barrier approach are: source protection, water treatment, water system operation and maintenance, water quality monitoring and reporting, regulatory inspection and mitigation planning, and operator education and training.

*Source: Newfoundland & Labrador (Regulation 2/23) January 21, 2023.