From Jamie Wills: "After more than twenty years with Waterline, a company that I co-founded with Steve Foley and Darren David, I am pleased to announce my retirement at the end of September 2020. I am immensely proud of the company development and growth over the last 20 years, the collective accomplishments of our staff, and the quality and timely service that they consistently provide to our clients. Our staff are our most valued asset, and this philosophy has become embedded in our corporate culture. In 2018, the company began its transition to employee owned, and over the last 1-2 years, my duties as President have transitioned such that other senior drivers and owners at Waterline have effectively assumed my role. With this transition complete, I am confident that Waterline will remain well positioned for future growth and will continue to operate as a leading and well respected hydrogeological and environmental consulting firm that provides practical and scientifically defensible solutions for our existing and new clients. On a personal note, I want to thank all of our clients for their continued support of Waterline. It is greatly appreciated, and I wish you and your families all the best. Take care! Jamie Wills" Note that effective October 1, 2020, Steve Foley has assumed the role of President of Waterline.

Congratulations to Blake Hiebert for 10 years at Waterline. Blake has been a huge asset in all aspects of physical hydrogeological project work and managing a variety of projects for Waterline. His expertise includes analysis and evaluation of aquifer test data, well efficiency, borehole geophysics and groundwater geochemistry. Blake has been a key co-ordinator in the organization and execution of large scale on-going programs. Along with his side kick Peanut (the dog), Blake brings a positive fun attitude as well as a cool collection of vintage Volkswagen's.

This week marks Brent Morin's 15-year anniversary with Waterline. Brent is not only a Senior Hydrogeologist with us, he is also a professional geologist and project manager. Over the years, Brent has been directly engaged with many of Waterline’s key clients across the Oil Sands, Upstream and Midstream Oil & Gas, and Mining sectors including Indigenous stakeholders. Brent's colleagues would describe him as friendly, considerate and hard working, as he always goes the extra mile to ensure projects are completed to a high standard. We look forward to working with Brent for years to come. Waterline’s President and founding partner, Steve Foley, particularly feels privileged to have watched Brent’s family grow over the last 15 years; investing heavily in cookie dough to advance his daughter’s dance career.

NAOSH was established in 1966 with the goal to focus employers, employees, partners and the public on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community. The Health and Safety of our staff is paramount on all projects undertaken by Waterline. We are a COR Certified company (Certificate of Recognition) and registered with ISNetworld, ComplyWorks, and Avetta. Waterline staff maintain an up-to-date standing in the following industry-approved H&S training courses: Standard First Aid, H2S Alive, Confined Space, Ground Disturbance, TDG, CSO (Common Safety Orientation), and WHMIS. At Waterline we make a continual commitment to our community, clients and coworkers that the safety of ourselves and each other will always be our first responsibility.

This Earth Day, Waterline is helping to “Take Care of the Planet” by encouraging our staff to pick up the litter we see along the waterlines our local watercourses and waterbodies while enjoying the great outdoors. We are so fortunate we live in Canada where we are blessed with incredible natural environments to enjoy, find rest, solitude, and connect with the ecosystems that sustain us. We can’t expect the sea gulls to do all the work for us, so let’s get out there and do our part! #TakeCareofThePlanet #EarthDay2021

Spring is in the air and as we return to warmer weather and the world starts to turn green, take a minute this week to consider how you can help the wildlife in your area. This year the Canadian Wildlife Federation wants to help you #DoMoreForWildlife by "Planting Seeds for Wildlife". Please head to their website and Take the Pledge and receive a free packet of Black-eyed Susan seeds to help you plant the seeds.

The third step of a water supply integrity program is for trained community members to carry out ongoing maintenance and testing of all the active domestic use water sources to ensure that the integrity of each water supply is preserved. Ongoing maintenance and testing may include regularly scheduled water quality sampling, well performance testing, and well rehabilitation activities. At a minimum, this typically includes sampling and shock chlorinating the water sources annually. If new water sources are developed, they should be incorporated into the ongoing maintenance and testing program. Waterline is available throughout the program to provide support to the community on an as needed basis, including managing the data collected and providing an assessment as to the integrity of the water supply. Ongoing water well maintenance and testing are often overlooked by individual well owners, which can lead to both a reduction in water quality and production. While water supply integrity issues are initially identified and addressed during the baseline testing program, if left unchecked these issues can reoccur and put the well and users at risk. Regular maintenance can help protect the users’ health and extend the life of the water well. By regularly collecting and analyzing water samples, changes in the water quality over time can be assessed and the data compared against the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality to identify any health-based concerns. The analytical results can also be used to identify potential minerals that can precipitate or the presence of bacteria that can plug the screen and affect well performance. Regular well performance monitoring, or short-duration pumping tests, can be used to identify changes to the water quantity which may be an early indication of well deterioration. Waterline supports the community by: • Managing and assessing the collected data; • Providing immediate notification to the community of any health-based water quality issues; • Advising on measures to be taken to protect the affected community members’ health; and • Providing guidance on how to rectify any other water source integrity issues, such as well deterioration. Ongoing maintenance and testing on multiple water sources can result in large datasets that can be difficult for the community to manage. Waterline has developed a customized water supply integrity program database that is used to automate most of the tasks related to data importing, graphing measured groundwater levels, notifications and reporting. A summary report can be provided to the individual water source users that details the results of the current testing program and compares these to the results of the baseline testing program. The report includes recommendations to the community members to help resolve any water supply integrity issues. It is important that community members be trained so that they can carry on the ongoing maintenance and testing tasks that are required to ensure the water supply integrity into the future. Throughout the water supply integrity program, Waterline will provide appropriate training for the community members. Details on the training program are presented in a separate video. For more information on how Waterline can help, please contact our water source integrity program coordinator Brent Morin at bmorin@waterlineresources.com.

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water” – Benjamin Franklin. Water means different things to different people. This conversation is about what water means to you. How is water important to your home and family life, your livelihood, your cultural practices, your wellbeing, your local environment? In households, schools and workplaces, water can mean health, hygiene, dignity and productivity. In cultural, religious and spiritual places, water can mean a connection with creation, community and oneself. In natural spaces, water can mean peace, harmony and preservation. Today, water is under extreme threat from a growing population, increasing demands of agriculture and industry, and the worsening impacts of climate change. Tell us your stories, thoughts and feelings about water. By recording - and celebrating - all the different ways water benefits our lives, we can value water properly and safeguard it effectively for everyone. To all of us at Waterline water is our way of life. In many ways we work to preserve it, source it responsibly, and work hard to mitigate environmental impacts on the water sources within our scope. Our dedication to responsible water use goes beyond our day to day work but continues in our homes. At Waterline, water "is" our business. Join the conversation about what water means to you at www.worldwaterday.org

Lead was commonly used in drinking water plumbing, including bronze, copper, and brass pipes, taps, fixtures, and solders used for joining metal pipes until the 1980s. Lead pipes were largely phased out in Canada in the 1950s but were still allowed in the National Plumbing Code until 1975. Tin-lead solder was allowed until 1986. In 1989, the BC Plumbing Code changed to restrict the use of lead so buildings constructed before 1989 have a higher risk of lead in drinking water. Lead gets in tap water mainly from corrosion of components in the municipal distribution system and building plumbing systems that contain lead. The amount of dissolved lead in water depends on the plumbing materials used, the age of the piping and fittings, the corrosiveness of the water, the length of time the water remains stagnant in the plumbing, and water-use patterns. Water quality characteristics such as temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, hardness, presence of other metal species (e.g., iron, manganese), and chemicals added during treatment (e.g., chloride) affects the corrosivity of the water and leaching of lead into the drinking water. Particulate lead in drinking water is associated with mechanical disturbances or galvanic corrosion. Particulate sources include lead solder particles and pipe deposit solids. Lead mobilization may occur by adsorption onto iron or manganese particles from the water source and/or the distribution system. There are instances when municipalities must carry out a Lead Investigation to meet the requirements under the BC Drinking Water Protection Act (the Act). The Water Supplier has defined roles and responsibilities to ensure the drinking water quality meets the applicable standards under the Act. No level of lead exposure is considered safe, and Health Canada advises to strive to achieve levels of lead in drinking water that are as low as reasonably possible. ASSESSING WATER CORROSIVITY AND LEAD IN DRINKING WATER Waterline uses a combination of visual inspection protocols (scratch test, magnet test, coin test), recognized instant screening tests (3M LeadCheckTM), and photographic surveys to evaluate the likelihood of lead in a building’s plumbing system during water sampling programs. There are online lead analyzers that monitor lead continuously at a single point in the plumbing system but are costly and only suitable in specific circumstances. Waterline collects water samples from cold drinking water taps in buildings (after a minimum 6-hour stagnation period), hydrants, valves, groundwater source wells, and water treatment plants. We analyze the samples at an accredited lab that is set up to conduct both routine potability and lead analysis to determine both the presence of lead in the drinking water and the corrosivity of the water. If pH is slightly acidic then dissolution of calcium carbonate and other elements including heavy metals is enhanced and potential corrosivity is higher. Water quality indicators help understand whether a calcium carbonate film or scale will form which can insulate components of a system from direct contact with water, reducing lead exposure. When no protective scale is formed, corrosion can occur. HEPFUL LINKS Drinking Water Testing – ALS Laboratories. Retrieved February 12, 2021. Interim Guidelines on evaluating lead in drinking water supplies, schools and other buildings. Health Protection Branch, Government of British Columbia. July 13, 2017, Victoria, British Columbia. Guidance on Controlling Corrosion in Drinking Water Distribution Systems (Health Canada). Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Lead. Water and Air Quality Bureau, Government of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario. How to Identify a Lead Water Service Pipe. To start a conversation with Steph Righi, our Water Sustainability Coordinator on staff, please contact: srighi@waterlineresources.com

Are you the owner of a non-domestic groundwater well that was in use prior to March 2016? If so, you are legally required by the BC WSA to apply for an Existing Groundwater Use Licence by the submission deadline. If you submit an Existing Use Licence application on or before the deadline you will be in compliance with the WSA and your water licence application fee will be waived, which could save you $250 to $10,000 per application. If you wait to apply until after March 1, 2022 you will be treated as a new applicant, which means you will lose your 'date of precedence' on the use of non-domestic groundwater and you will be required to pay application fees. Still needing to apply for a groundwater use licence for your wells? Not sure if you even need to apply for a licence? Wondering if you need an Existing Use or New Use Licence? Waterline offers WSA licensing services. Visit our WSA Licensing Page or contact us for more information. For more information on how Waterline can help, please contact our water sustainability coordinator Steph Righi at srighi@waterlineresources.com.

Waterline would like to wish a happy international women's day to all of the amazing women out there working hard everyday. You all make a world of difference, Thanks.

The second step of a water supply integrity program is to complete baseline testing on the active domestic use water sources identified during the water source inventory. The testing will document the baseline water quality and quantity, where applicable, for the water sources on the reserve. Communal domestic water supply sources typically have sufficient data from historical testing and sampling programs, and therefore the water supply integrity issues are likely to have already been identified and addressed. Therefore, the water supply integrity program focuses on the private water systems, primarily water wells, within the community that are not routinely tested or maintained. For each private water supply well, a baseline yield test is conducted to document the drawdown of the groundwater level in the well in response to pumping at a sustained constant rate for 60 minutes. A flow-control valve is used to maintain a constant pumping rate and, if the well is accessible, a pressure transducer with datalogger is installed into the well to regularly monitor the groundwater level response to pumping. Once the pump is shut off, the recovery of the water level is monitored for an additional 60 minutes or until 90% recovery of the pre-pumping water level. The data collected, provides a baseline to which future issues regarding groundwater quantity, such as impacts from adjacent water usage, can be compared. During the baseline yield test, untreated groundwater is monitored periodically for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and temperature at a sampling point upstream of any water treatment system. Groundwater may be flowed through a gas separator to test for the presence of free gas, and observations such as water colour, odour, clarity and the presence of sediment will be recorded. Near the end of the pumping portion of the baseline yield test, Waterline will collect water samples for analytical testing of general chemistry and microbiological parameters following standard quality assurance procedures. Other specific parameters identified in consultation with the First Nations community may also be included in the analytical program. In addition to sampling water supply wells, Waterline will collect water samples from other identified domestic water sources, such as springs, creeks, or storage tanks during the baseline testing program. Where feasible, Waterline will also collect water quantity data for these sources, such as flow rates or tank size. Water samples will also be collected from surface waterbodies, such as creeks, rivers or lakes, that are located near domestic water supply wells to classify chemical types and identify any potential surface water-groundwater interaction. The baseline testing results are used to: Identify any existing water supply integrity issues with respect to quality or quantity; Make recommendations to the community regarding water supply system maintenance or treatment; and Provide a benchmark to which future changes in water supply quality or quantity can be assessed. Data management and ongoing testing and maintenance are essential for ensuring the water supply integrity into the future. Details regarding ongoing testing, maintenance and data management programs are presented in a separate video. For more information on how Waterline can help, please contact our water source integrity program coordinator Brent Morin at bmorin@waterlineresources.com.