The Cataraqui Source Protection Area (CSPA) is located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and the upper part of the St. Lawrence River. It includes a portion of the Bay of Quinte, Hay Bay, the southern portion of the Rideau Canal and the Thousand Islands. The CSPA is the area of land and water where the Cataraqui Source Protection Plan applies.
The CSPA includes portions of three counties and all or part of the 11 municipalities within the Cataraqui Conservation’s jurisdiction, as well the Township of Frontenac Islands (Howe and Wolfe Islands). About 80 per cent of residents in the CSPA (approximately 170, 000 people) rely on municipal drinking water systems from surface or groundwater sources. The other approximately 40, 000 residents in the CSPA obtain their drinking water from private intakes or wells.