The EOCP Presents its Innovation Award to the Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program at the Regional District of Nanaimo

BURNABY, British Columbia - Oct. 6, 2020 - PRLog -- The EOCP's Innovation Award is presented to an individual or organization that has developed a product or service to advance public health and/or environmental protection.

This is a new award category for the EOCP and was implemented specifically to recognize initiatives taken by an individual or organization to safeguard public health and/or environmental protection, and to encourage such innovation.

As the first regional government service in British Columbia created a to explicitly protect water at a watershed scale, this program has been a leading example of how local governments can drive innovation and be a powerful influencer in source drinking water protection and watershed governance.

The program celebrated its first decade in 2019, and continues to focus on watersheds rather than political boundaries for its program activities that include water awareness and stewardship; water science and information; and water-centric policy and planning support.  Fortunately, after an external review in 2019, support for the program was reiterated and a new 10-year action plan is place that will allow the program to continue to innovate and extend its reach.

The Awards Committee is pleased to recognize with this Award, the work of the Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program at the Regional District of Nanaimo.

The EOCP (www.eocp.ca) was the first organization in Canada to implement an Operator certification and facility classification program in Canada in an effort to better protect public health and the environment.  Fifty-four years later, the EOCP continues to grow, work with its stakeholders, and evolve, ensuring that the needs of Operators and employers are met.

The EOCP's membership provides safe drinking water and wastewater management to more than 4.2 million people across British Columbia and Yukon.