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A Jurisdiction Review of Groundwater (Drinking Water) Pathway Assessments

October 7, 2021
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A key exposure pathway in environmental assessment of contaminated sites is groundwater for drinking water use (including drinking water or domestic use aquifers). Protection of drinking water aquifers is a key focus for most jurisdictions to protect public health via current water supplies and preserve future groundwater sources. This presentation will provide a brief overview in how Alberta and other jurisdictions consider drinking water pathways assessments, with the intent of sharing best practices and identifying supplementary paradigms. There are jurisdictions that have allocated significant resources to aquifer protection, especially in geographically arid regions. Other governing bodies have had to address long histories of groundwater contamination or have been compelled to accommodate natural and economic factors in established urban areas. Understanding differing approaches and alternate strategies exposes practitioners to a global view of how contamination near and within groundwater resources are managed. 

The intended audience will be site managers and environmental professionals who assess site data with the intent of maintaining aquifer protection while balancing reasonable and practical conservation. A key outcome of investigating other jurisdictions is to apply science-based methods and avoid overly conservative approaches to ensure environmental management funds are spent effectively and provide value-added benefits to aquifers, the public and the holistic environment. 

Presenter - Sheila Duchek, M.Sc., P.Geo. Senior Hydrogeologist at SNC-Lavalin

Ms. Sheila Duchek is a senior hydrogeologist with nearly 20 years of experience. Ms. Duchek’s current focus is managing and providing senior technical support for groundwater assessment, monitoring, and operational compliance programs. As a lead technical advisor in hydrogeology, Ms. Duchek has reviewed, analyzed and provided recommendations to various clients, with varied groundwater assessment needs. Ms. Duchek is adept at groundwater assessments and working with regulators and the public in addressing concerns with respect to groundwater use and management. 

Ms. Duchek has spearheaded key technical hydrogeology field support teams, provides senior technical support of environmental site assessments for site characterization and liability estimates. She leads water resource exploration programs with large-scale water well drilling and testing components. She is a technical resource for a wide range of groundwater assessment programs, both local and regional in scale, using a variety of drilling and well completion methods. Ms. Duchek also prepares and advises clients with respect to regulatory filing and applications. 

When:  Thursday, October 7, 2021
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm 
Venue: A link to ZOOM will be shared to all registered attendees prior to the session.
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Refund Cut-off Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2021