Frontenac County earns Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association award

Frontenac County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan was presented with the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA) Corporate Innovator Award at the Frontenac County Council meeting, March 20. He received the accolade from OOWA Director Brady Straw, and Operations Coordinator Kelly Andrews.

The Corporate Innovator Award is presented for innovation and advancement of solutions that add value to decentralized wastewater management and treatment and that strengthen the industry and the OOWA.

Frontenac County Deputy Warden Ron Vandewal, Frontenac County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan, Frontenac County Warden Frances Smith.

"This group developed a local solution to overcome constraints and a standalone Municipal Services Corporation to be responsible for communal services," says Straw. "This innovative solution will help other municipalities and rural developers to successfully grow rural Ontario."

Gallivan earned the award on behalf of Frontenac County for spearheading the communal services water and wastewater initiative in Frontenac County, and for encouraging other planning officials and municipal leaders in rural areas to examine and adopt the approach in their jurisdictions. Straw and Andrews attended the meeting and commended Gallivan and Frontenac County virtually. The award was presented in-person by Frontenac County Warden Frances Smith, and Frontenac County Deputy Warden Ron Vandewal.

“Thank you for acknowledging the work that all of us at Frontenac County have done,” says Gallivan. “This is a true example of a project where, if we all pull together across the region, we can make a difference for citizens. I especially want to thank the political leadership over the years.”

Communal water and wastewater systems, sometimes called decentralized systems, are shared water and wastewater treatment for clusters of residences and businesses. The approach is an innovative alternative to the traditional arrangement of separate-well-and-septic for each building lot.

The communal services approach carries many advantages for residents of rural areas including making way for new construction on smaller lot sizes in villages or hamlets, more and less-expensive housing options, new possibilities for mixed-use development and home-based business, and rural and waterfront projects that protect water quality and natural heritage.

“Joe has been instrumental in putting Frontenac County on the map,” says Smith. “He has attended conference after conference, spoken to so many people, spent hours and hours learning systems, and then trying to teach Council about systems. This is just a small token of thanks from us and the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association for all that work.”

Learn more about communal services in Frontenac here: https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services

Visit the OOWA webpage here: https://www.oowa.org/