Early this Fall Source Protection education and outreach efforts hit two fairs in Eastern Ontario to engage and inform the public on the Clean Water Act and Source Water Protection.
Source Protection Committee members Jeff Peters and Terry Shea engaged with the public at the Kingston Fall Fair held between Thursday September 15th and Sunday September 18th. Along with knowledgeable committee members the booth also had informative pamphlets and displays.
At the International Plowing Match (IPM) held Tuesday September 20th to Saturday September 24th, Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Conservation Authorities organized a Conservation Authority Tent at the Fair with booths representing a wide range of services carried out by Conservation Authorities, including Source Water Protection. Conservation Authority staff from Source Protection Areas and Regions in Eastern Ontario had the opportunity to participate at the Source Protection booth at the event. This included Kelsey Guerette, the Source Protection Coordinator at Cataraqui Conservation. The booth at the IPM had informative pamphlets and displays as well as water sampling kits available for individuals on private drinking water systems. The image above shows Marika Livingston the Drinking Water Source Protection Project Manager with the MIssissippi-Rideau Source Protection Region on the left and Kelsey Guerette on the right. The tent was also equipped with an augmented reality sandbox which uses sand and sensors to aid in illustrating hydrology, and topography. This tool engaged children and adults alike.
The Cataraqui Source Protection Committee is excited to see education and outreach efforts move back towards in-person engagement when possible.