These thematic layers present the location of the protection areas of category 1 water withdrawal sites as defined in article 51 of the Water Withdrawal and Protection Regulation (RPEP). For groundwater withdrawals, protection areas and their vulnerability levels are determined according to the requirements of articles 53, 54, 57 and 65 of the RPEP. The areas for the protection of surface water withdrawals are determined according to the requirements of articles 70, 72 and 74 of the RPEP. The protection areas and vulnerability levels were compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) based on vulnerability analysis reports that were produced by municipalities under articles 68 and 75 of the RPEP. According to the manager, the vulnerability analysis reports were produced by professionals, representatives of watershed organizations (OBV) or representatives of regional consultation tables (TCR).**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Water sampling data includes several thematic layers. 1) Water samples authorized by the MELCCFP: This thematic layer shows the location of water sampling sites authorized in Quebec under section 22 of the Environment Quality Act (chapter Q-2) and their associated volume (liter per day). The database includes active authorizations to take water since the Water Withdrawal and Protection Regulation (RPEP) came into force on August 14, 2014. 2) Water uses by municipality: The data from the game “Water Uses by Municipality” is an estimate of the volumes of water collected annually on the territory of Quebec municipalities, based on water samples or declared water uses available in various government databases.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**