Local Stakeholders and Septic System Professionals Come Together to Protect Local Water Resources
Joint press release issued by the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association and South Nation Conservation.
Clean water is critical to human health and is also essential to our natural environment. Protecting the sources of municipal drinking water supplies, through the Clean Water Act, has become a priority for our local municipalities and Conservation Authorities.
However, these agencies are not the only ones responsible for ensuring that we have a clean and safe water supply; service providers and other professionals who make a living in the septic system industry also have an important role to play.
This is where the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA) comes in. OOWA is a province-wide professional association that is dedicated to representing and educating its members in the septic system or onsite wastewater treatment industry. Its members include educators, local approval agencies, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers.
OOWA is proud to be working alongside building official members of the Ontario Building Official Association (OBOA) Golden Triangle Part 8 Sub Committee to co-host the annual Eastern Ontario Regional Meeting on Wednesday, January 28th in Casselman, Ontario at the Complexe J.R. Brisson from 9am to 3:30pm.
Monique Sauve, the Lead Sewage Systems Inspector for the South Nation Conservation agrees that educational efforts and events like this are important for local approval agencies and industry professionals alike; “It’s important that we meet annually to update ourselves to the fast paced building code changes. Our installers/designers have come a long way to upgrade themselves from when I first started 16 years ago and I am proud of their professionalism in this field. This day always brings us together and I always leave learning something new.”
The meeting invites all onsite professionals in eastern Ontario to come together to learn more about type ‘A’ area bed requirements, milk house wastewater systems, and alternatives to conventional system design. The local Source Water Protection Program will present updates related to septic systems and to important new flood plain setback requirements. An update from OOWA’s president Rick Esselment will also be provided. Dr. Kent Novakowski from Queen’s University, the keynote speaker will discuss the case of well contamination in Portland, Ontario. Local installers and contractors are invited to participate in a panel discussion to share their experiences and best practices from the field.
To register for the event or to take advantage of the sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities call Mike Gibbs, the OOWA Programs and Outreach Coordinator at 1-855-905-6692 ext. 1 or via email at outreach@oowa.org. You can also view the agenda and get further details on the OOWA ‘Events’ webpage at www.oowa.org .