Regulations under this Act:
O. Reg. 454/96 Construction
The Act was established to provide for the management, protection, preservation and use of the waters of the lakes and rivers of the Province and the land under them. Also addressed are the rights of property owners who own land adjacent to bodies of water (“riparian rights”), the protection and management of fish and wildlife that depend on the lakes and rivers, and the protection of the natural amenities of the lakes and rivers and their shores.
A major section of the Act deals with the construction of dams on any lake or river. The Act stipulates the need for prior approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources before any such construction is started. Diagrams indicating the proposed location of the dam and any area to be flooded and a statement indicating the type, purpose and size of the dam must accompany the submission. The Minister may order the owner of a dam that has been constructed without a fishway to provide one, within a specified time, that permits free and unobstructed passage of fish up and down stream at any season of the year.
The Act also prohibits the depositing or discharging of refuse or any other matter in a lake or river, whether or not it is covered by ice, or on the shores or banks of a lake or river.