For Immediate Release
The third meeting of the Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC) for the Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region was held March 18, 2008, in
Hanover.
The Conceptual Water Budget document was presented to the Committee. As an important technical document, the Conceptual Water Budget looks at the general movement of water across
the watershed and the quantities involved. The most visible pathway for water is the surface runoff to local watercourses and major river systems, such as the Saugeen, Beaver and Sauble
Rivers. However, significant amounts of water also soak into the ground and serve to recharge the shallow and deep groundwater aquifers. Work on a more detailed and locallyfocused water
budget is already underway.
A sample module of the Terms of Reference was demonstrated for the Committee. Members were shown the tasks that need to be completed during development of the Assessment Report
and Source Protection Plan. The full Terms of Reference will contain similar information for more than 40 municipal drinking water systems in the Source Protection Region, as well as a
timeline for preparation of the reports. A preliminary draft of the Terms of Reference is expected to be available for public comment in early summer 2008 and a final draft is due by late summer
2008.
SPC member Dr. David Biesenthal made a presentation on the Walkerton water tragedy. “The Committee heard a firsthand account from their fellow member about a tragedy that impacted
many people in this region,” commented Michael Traynor, Chair of the SPC. After the meeting, SPC members traveled to Walkerton, where they visited the site of the former Well No. 5 in
Walkerton and toured the Walkerton Clean Water Centre.
Minutes of SPC meetings and other information about Drinking Water Source Protection are available on the local Source Protection website at www.waterprotection.ca.
The Source Protection Committee will be meeting next on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 9:30 in the Northern Bruce Peninsula municipal offices north of Ferndale. The public is welcome to attend.
Other meeting dates are May 20 and June 24, 2008 (time and location to be determined).
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Ellingwood, Communications Specialist, Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region, at (519) 376-3076 x. 246 or e-mail d.ellingwood@greysauble.on.ca