CRIMEBOX

February 21, 2025

ONTARIO COURT FINES BELLEVILLE WATER SYSTEM OWNER $10,000 FOR VIOLATIONS

A Belleville water system owner has been fined $10,000 in Ontario court for failing to meet regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to a provincial court bulletin.

Convicted – Kendra Hodgson

Court Location – Belleville

Description of Offences –

• The convictions are for, as the owner of a non-municipal drinking water system:
• Failing to ensure that the system was operated by a certified drinking water system operator.
• Failing to ensure that microbiological sampling/testing requirements were met.

Date of Offences – Various dates between July 21, 2021, and October 26, 2022

Date of Convictions – February 21, 2025

Penalties Imposed –

• Kendra Hodgson was convicted of two violations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, fined $10,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $2,500, and given 12 months to pay.

Background –

• The Bay Ridge Apartments is a residential complex located in Belleville, Ontario. There are eight private residential units and approximately 19 residents at the site.

• At the time the offences occurred, Kendra Hodgson was the registered owner of both the site and the on-site drinking water system, known as the Bay Ridge Apartments Well Supply.

• The drinking water system is categorized as a non-municipal, year-round residential system. The drinking water system obtains raw water from a groundwater well supply. Water is then treated with filtration and ultraviolet radiation before it is distributed to users.

• Routine sampling and testing of raw water and water in the distribution system, as well as proper operation and maintenance of the system, are required to ensure the safe supply of drinking water to residents.

• In September 2022, a ministry Water Compliance Officer attended the site to conduct an inspection of the drinking water system in response to missing sample results.

• During the inspection, missed sampling was confirmed and additional violations were identified. Namely, between July 2021 and October 2022, Kendra Hodgson failed to ensure that the drinking water system was operated by a certified operator.

• Further, microbiological sampling and testing was not completed during this period. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, distribution samples must be collected every two weeks and tested for Eschericia coli (E.coli) and total coliforms. The last distribution sample that was tested for E.coli and total coliforms was collected in July 2021.

• A certified drinking water system operator was eventually retained in October 2022 to operate, maintain and conduct sampling of the Bay Ridge Apartments Well Supply.

• The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid charges which resulted in the convictions.