Lake Major Watershed Protected Water Area Regulations
made under subsection 106(6) of the
Environment Act
S.N.S. 1994-95, c. 1
N.S. Reg. 141/2025 (effective July 22, 2025)
Table of Contents
Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.
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Citation
Definitions
Public notification
Fire restrictions
Vehicle and vessel restrictions
Swimming, bathing and washing restrictions
Fishing restrictions
Dock, wharf and mooring restrictions
Forestry restrictions
Boat launch restrictions
Pest control products and biocide restrictions
Refuse or waste restrictions
Discharges prohibited
Landfill prohibition
Corridor restriction
Sewage system requirements
Gravel and mineral extraction
Soil erosion and sedimentation control
Road construction restrictions
Dwelling unit construction restrictions
Approval requirements
Appointment of Administrator
Citation
1 These regulations may be cited as the Lake Major Watershed Protected Water Area
Regulations.
Definitions
2 In these regulations,
“Act” means the Environment Act;
“Administrator” means a person employed by the Department and appointed by
the Minister under Section 22;
“biocide” means a toxic chemical or other substance capable of killing living
organisms, but does not include a registered pest control product;
“Board” means the Lake Major Watershed Advisory Board established to provide
advice to the Minister and the Water Works Operator with respect to the
management of the Lake Major Watershed;
“Department” means the Department of Environment and Climate Change;
“Minister” means the Minister of Environment and Climate Change;
“mulch” means a plant or artificial material used to cover soil to protect an area
from erosion or to retain soil moisture;
“pest control product” means a pest control product as defined in the Act;
“Protected Water Area” means the land and water designated under subsection
106(5) of the Act as the Lake Major Watershed Protected Water Area, as described
in Schedule “A” to the designation;
“vehicle” means any vehicle propelled or driven otherwise than by muscular
power, whether or not the vehicle is registered under the Motor Vehicle Act;
“vessel” means a means of conveyance of a kind used on water and includes any
accessory to the vessel;
“watercourse” means the bed and shore of a river, stream, lake, creek, pond,
spring, lagoon, swamp, marsh, wetland, ravine, gulch or other natural body of
water, and the water in it, including groundwater, within the jurisdiction of the
Province, whether it contains water or not;
“Water Works Operator”, unless the Minister agrees otherwise in writing, means
the Halifax Regional Water Commission who is the operator of the water works as
defined in the Act.
Public notification
3 (1) The Water Works Operator must post signs at the direction of the Department to
indicate that Lake Major Watershed has been designated as a Protected Water
Area.
(2) The Water Works Operator must replace any signs that have been damaged or
removed.
(3) The Water Works Operator must take appropriate measures to advertise and
provide notice to the general public of these regulations.
(4) A person must not remove or alter any sign, notice or advertisement posted under
these regulations.
Fire restrictions
4 (1) A person must not light or be responsible for an open fire in the Protected Water
Area from April 15 to October 15, inclusive, in any year except for an open fire in
a barbecue or fireplace designed for cooking or heating purposes.
(2) When open fires are permitted during the times prescribed in subsection (1), a
person must not burn a product other than wood or charcoal.
(3) A person must not light or be responsible for an open fire on ice located over Long
Lake or Lake Major or within 10 m of the shoreline of those lakes.
(4) A person involved in forestry activity in the Protected Water Area must comply
with the Forests Act and its regulations, including the Forest Fire Protection
Regulations.
Vehicle and vessel restrictions
5 (1) A person must not wash a vehicle or vessel in any watercourse or within 30 m of
the shoreline or bank of any watercourse located in the Protected Water Area.
(2) A person must not operate a vehicle, including an off-highway vehicle as defined
in the Off-highway Vehicles Act or any other type of recreational vehicle, on or
over Long Lake or Lake Major.
(3) A person must not operate a vessel in the Protected Water Area that is powered by
a motor greater than 9.9 hp or that carries more than 23 L of gasoline, unless the
person meets both of the following conditions:
(a) they are required to operate the vessel in Lake Major to safeguard its water
supply;
(b) they have been issued an approval by the Water Works Operator.
(4) A person must not fill a gasoline tank or transfer any liquid fuel from tank to tank
on or within 20 m of the shoreline or bank of Lake Major or Long Lake.
Swimming, bathing and washing restrictions
6 (1) A person must not bathe or wash in any watercourse in the Protected Water Area.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3), swimming is permitted in the Protected
Water Area, including Long Lake.
(3) A person must not swim in Lake Major, except within 800 m upstream from the
Lake Major Dam.
Fishing restrictions
7 (1) A person must not fish from a vessel or from the shoreline of Lake Major within
100 m of the intake structure for the Lake Major water treatment facility.
(2) A person must not use, have in their possession or release any live or dead fish or
fish parts for the purpose of bait or species introductions for recreational fishing in
the Protected Water Area.
Dock, wharf and mooring restrictions
8 (1) Except as permitted in subsection (2), a person must not install a permanent dock,
wharf or mooring on any watercourse in the Protected Water Area.
(2) Despite subsection (1), a person may install a seasonal or temporary dock or wharf
if they have been issued an approval by the Water Works Operator before the
seasonal or temporary dock or wharf is installed.
(3) Before issuing an approval for a seasonal or temporary dock or wharf, the Water
Works Operator must notify the Board.
Forestry restrictions
9 (1) A person must not undertake any type of forestry activity in the Protected Water
Area that will diminish the quality or quantity of the water.
(2) A person must not construct a forest access road in the Protected Water Area
unless the route location is approved in writing by the Water Works Operator
following consultation with the Board.
(3) A person must not construct a bridge, culvert or otherwise alter a watercourse in
the Protected Water Area unless a permit or approval is issued by the Minister or a
person designated by the Minister following consultation with the Board.
(4) An owner, operator or person responsible for a forest access road, bridge or culvert
approved under subsection (2) or (3)
(a) must maintain and repair the forest access road, bridge or culvert; and
(b) must not remove a bridge or culvert without first obtaining written approval
from the Minister or a person designated by the Minister.
(5) A person must not begin any type of forestry activity in the Protected Water Area
unless that person
(a) gives at least 30 days’ prior notice to the Water Works Operator; and
(b) has been issued an approval by the Water Works Operator.
(6) A person must not undertake any type of forestry activity in the Protected Water
Area in excess of 20 ha unless the owner, operator or person responsible for the
forest land has a forest management plan that meets all of the following conditions:
(a) it was prepared by a professional forester;
(b) it has been reviewed and approved by the Water Works Operator following
consultation with the Board;
(c) it ensures that any forestry activity conducted in the Protected Water Area
has as a primary objective the protection of
(i) the watershed and any watercourse located in the Protected Water
Area; and
(ii) the quality and quantity of water located in the Protected Water Area.
(7) A person must not drive logs on any watercourse located in the Protected Water
Area.
(8) A person must not operate forest harvesting equipment in a watercourse in the
Protected Water Area.
(9) A permit or approval issued under this Section may include terms and conditions
respecting time and other restrictions if the terms, conditions or restrictions are
considered necessary to protect water quality in the Protected Water Area.
Boat launch restrictions
10 A person must not install a boat launch or slip in the Protected Water Area, except for
the purpose of operating the Lake Major Water Treatment Plant.
Pest control products and biocide restrictions
11 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person must not spray or otherwise apply a
pest control product or biocide, including, but not limited to, an insecticide,
herbicide or fungicide, in the Protected Water Area.
(2) All of the following pest control products and biocides are exempt from subsection
(1):
(a) dormant oils;
(b) lime sulphur;
(c) insecticidal soap;
(d) Bacillus thuringiensis formulations;
(e) any other pest control product or biocide approved by the Administrator.
(3) Except for the aerial application of Baccillus thuringiensis formulations, a person
must not apply a pest control product listed in subsection (2) in the Protected
Water Area unless the application is done by a ground method and is administered
in accordance with the Act and its regulations.
Refuse or waste restrictions
12 (1) A person must not pile or accumulate agricultural refuse, farm waste or wood
processing waste, including sawdust, bark, chips or shavings, within 65 m of the
shoreline or bank of any watercourse in the Protected Water Area.
(2) Any materials described in subsection (1) must be contained by a storage method
approved by the Administrator.
Discharges prohibited
13 (1) A person must not deposit, release, discharge, drain or emit or cause or permit the
deposit, release, discharge, drainage or emission of any of the following products
in the Protected Water Area:
(a) oil;
(b) petroleum products;
(c) soap;
(d) detergent;
(e) toxic chemicals;
(f) pest control product waste;
(g) garbage;
(h) litter;
(i) solid or liquid waste;
(j) any other material that causes or may cause pollution to a watercourse or
any other area.
(2) A product described in subsection (1) must be safely disposed of outside the
boundaries of the Protected Water Area in a place and in a manner approved by the
Department, the Department of Health and Wellness and the Halifax Regional
Municipality.
Landfill prohibition
14 A person, including a municipality, must not establish a dump, landfill or waste disposal
site in the Protected Water Area.
Corridor restriction
15 A person must not construct a road, pipeline, railway, telephone line, power line or other
similar development on, over or across the Protected Water Area or grant an easement
on, over or across the Protected Water Area without first obtaining written approval from
the Administrator following consultation with the Board.
Sewage system requirements
16 A person must not install an on-site sewage disposal system in the Protected Water Area
unless the system is constructed in conformance with the On-site Sewage Disposal
Systems Regulations made under the Act and other applicable legislation.
Gravel and mineral extraction
17 A person must not operate or use any pit, mine or quarry for the extraction of gravel,
rock or minerals in the Protected Water Area without first obtaining written approval
from the Administrator following consultation with the Board.
Soil erosion and sedimentation control
18 (1) A person must not undertake any activity that causes or might cause soil erosion
resulting in sediment being deposited in a watercourse located in the Protected
Water Area.
(2) If sedimentation occurs, the owner, operator or person responsible for the property
must take immediate action to install erosion and sediment control measures.
(3) A person must not permit water that has a suspended solid concentration greater
than 25 mg/L to discharge from any construction site located in the Protected
Water Area.
(4) Except for grubbing or earth moving required to construct a single- or two-unit
dwelling, a person must not begin any activity requiring grubbing or earth moving
in the Protected Water Area unless they have an erosion and sedimentation control
plan that has been approved in writing by the Administrator following consultation
with the Board.
Road construction restrictions
19 (1) A person must not undertake any road construction work in the Protected Water
Area unless the work is conducted between June 1 and September 30, inclusive, in
any year.
(2) A person must not expose at any one time more than 1900 m2 of roadway subbase
in the Protected Water Area.
Dwelling unit construction restrictions
20 An owner, occupier, contractor or person responsible for constructing a dwelling unit in
the Protected Water Area must not begin construction unless all of the following terms
and conditions to control erosion and sedimentation are met:
(a) all areas where vehicular activity takes place must be covered with rock or
material to stabilize the area;
(b) during construction, if areas described in clause (a) become rutted,
additional granular material must be applied to prevent the transport of silt
from the site;
(c) if the dwelling unit is adjacent to a watercourse, ditch or storm sewer, all
soil excavated to permit construction of the foundation or basement of the
dwelling must be transported out of the Protected Water Area or be
completely covered with a material to prevent erosion;
(d) exposed soil must be covered to prevent erosion until a permanent
protective cover is established;
(e) erosion protection must be inspected at least twice a week by the owner,
operator or person responsible and repaired if unstable areas are found;
(f) soil that is exposed adjacent to a watercourse, ditch, or storm sewer must be
stabilized within 24 hours of exposure;
(g) once landscaping starts, lawn areas must be immediately prepared, sodded
or seeded and mulched within 7 days;
(h) no more than 200 m2 of lawn area may be developed at any one time;
(i) all landscaping must be carried out between May 1 and October 31,
inclusive, in any year.
Approval requirements
21 (1) A person must obtain all municipal, provincial and federal approvals that may be
required to conduct any type of operation or do any activity in the Protected Water
Area.
(2) A person must comply with the terms and conditions of any permit, licence or
approval and any Act or regulations that might apply in the Protected Water Area.
Appointment of Administrator
22 The Minister may appoint an employee in the Department as an Administrator to
administer these regulations on behalf of the Minister and the Department.
The following regulations are not
yet in force and are not included in the current consolidation: