The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC) honoured five members who are retiring from the committee.

Retiring from the SPC are Karen Galbraith (Maitland Valley Public-at-Large); Gerry Rupke (Ausable Bayfield Public-at-Large); Keith Black (Agriculture); Kerri Ann O’Rourke (Property Owner and Residents’ Associations); and Bruce Godkin, P. Eng. (Industry).

Chair Matt Pearson presented the retiring members with thank you gifts (books by Bonnie Sitter) during the November 22 committee meeting at the White Carnation Banquet Hall in Holmesville. He said the SPC fulfills its mandate to protect source water through the guidance it provides to develop policies. “We have been well-represented over the years by a diversified and involved membership and we will miss the participation of the retiring members,” he said. “We thank them for their dedicated service and contributions.”

Three of the five members (Keith Black, Karen Galbraith, and Gerry Rupke) have served on the committee since it was formed in 2007. The committee has worked to create assessment reports and source protection plans that have been in effect in the region since April of 2015. The plan policies reduce risk to municipal drinking water systems from 22 activities that could contaminate the source of water. They achieve this through education, risk management plans, and restrictions on some land uses in some vulnerable areas. The source protection work was required by the Ontario Clean Water Act, 2006, with funding support from the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

With the evolution of the source protection program, the local Source Protection Authority (SPA) recently decided to reduce the SPC from 15 to 12 members to reflect the current work requirements. There was a call for applications, from September 30 to November 4, to replace retiring members and for renewing positions. New and returning members will be appointed/reappointed by January 1, 2020 but the Source Protection Authority is still seeking an industry representative.

Find out more about the source protection region, plans, and how to protect your drinking water at sourcewaterinfo.on.ca.

DRINKING WATER SOURCE PROTECTION COMMITTEE HONOURS RETIRING MEMBERS: Matt Pearson, Chair of the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Committee (SPC), honoured five members, who are retiring from the committee after years of dedicated service, at the November 22 meeting in Holmesville. From left to right in photo are SPC Chair Matt Pearson and retiring members Gerry Rupke (Ausable Public-at-Large); Kerri Ann O’Rourke (Property Owner and Residents’ Associations); Bruce Godkin, P. Eng. (Industry); Keith Black (Agriculture); and Karen Galbraith (Maitland Valley Public-at-Large).