Trust the Tap

It is hard to believe that May 2020, marks 20 years since the water supply in Walkerton, Ontario was contaminated with E. coli and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, resulting in the death of 7 people and severe illness affecting over 2,000 people.

Since May 2000, the Provincial government, Municipalities, Conservation Authorities and Source Protection Committees throughout much of Ontario have done tremendous work to improve the quality of municipal drinking water by following the recommendations of the Walkerton Inquiry which was led by Justice Dennis O’Connor.

As we remember the Walkerton tragedy, we would like to acknowledge the hard work and integral part our municipality plays in the multi-barrier approach that has been adopted across much of the province. The multi-barrier approach ensures that municipal drinking water is protected and improved from the source to the tap. After 20 years, it is an appropriate time to recognize the important work that has been done to make municipal drinking water safe.

Victor Reid, Manager of Environmental Services for Marmora and Lake was part of the response team that mapped out the distribution infrastructure and updated old Drawings for GIS.

Thanks Victor for keeping Marmora and Lake safe, and helping Ontario through one of it’s worst disasters 20 years ago. We are lucky to have Victor, and his dedicated staff, all with great expertise in this industry.